BROKEN FACE, Sweden (September 2003):

TURN PALE - 'Kill the Lights' CD

Bridging the dark space between goth and post-punk, Turn Pale are sinister and sparse, but strangely a lot of fun.  The semi-tribal drumming works extremely well with the jerky vocals and jagged guitars, and on some songs (like "Peaceable Kingdom"), the combination is actually upbeat and infectious.  At first I found the vocals annoyingly pretentious, but the strange mix of Robert Smith and Johnny Rotten (Pil-era) grew on me.  You don't hear much goth like this anymore - this isn't supposed to scare you or make you dance, but it's cool and fun and a welcome change.

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