The Sisters of Mercy are a paradox. A cult band that have enjoyed mainstream success. A puzzle that has been endlessly pored over by myriad fans without the revelation of simple answers. Birthed in Leeds within the Situationist shockwaves of Gang of Four and Mekons, the Sisters have been going almost continually since 1980, though their most recent release of new music was in 1993. Sole abiding human member Andrew Eldritch is himself a contradiction – part visceral showman, part cerebral dissenter – while a series of collaborators have provided a creative and sometimes combative foil as the band’s musical palette has ebbed and flowed. The Sisters have influenced countless bands within the goth genre, including darkwave, industrial and metal acts, though Eldritch rejects ‘the G-word’ outright. Lyrically, the Sisters are atypically potent, always in orbit around the twin poles of ecstasy and annihilation. Eldritch draws on modernist poetry, dystopian fiction and Gonzo journalism to craft themes and effects that are by turns heartbreaking, slyly satirical and eviscerating of imperialist hubris. On Track Short: The Sisters of Mercy covers all the studio releases, building a sonic and poetic portrait of a band that have done things resolutely on their own terms while voicing truth to a world on fire.
