Australian musical project Dead Can Dance was formed in 1981 by Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry in Melbourne, later relocating to London in May 1982. Music historian Ian McFarlane described Dead Can Dance's style as 'constructed soundscapes of mesmerising grandeur and solemn beauty, African polyrhythms, Gaelic folk, Gregorian chant, Middle Eastern mantras and art rock'.

Spiritchaser, Dead Can Dance’s seventh album, was released in 1996 and was the final studio album the band released with 4AD (it was to be another 16 years until they reconvened to make their eighth, Anastasis). Again recording at Brendan’s Quivvy Church in Ireland and as hinted at by the album’s title, the band had moved their focus away from the traditional medieval and Eastern sound of their middle albums to work with African and Caribbean tribal rhythms. Still unmistakably Dead Can Dance, percussion is at the forefront throughout Spiritchaser and despite contributions from Ronan O’Snodaigh, Renaud Pion, Lance Hogan, Robert Perry and Peter Ulrich on a few tracks, the album is mostly just Perry and Gerrard. In fine voice throughout, like their whole career’s work, their strong singing remains the centerpiece.

Formed in Australia in the early '80s by Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry, Dead Can Dance had veered away from the punk explosion towards a more non-conformist style. But finding the music scene unreceptive they moved to London, landed a record deal with 4AD and embarked on a career with the label that would last seventeen years.

Highly respected artists with a loyal global fanbase, Gerrard and Perry consistently made music full of integrity and passion. Both immensely talented vocalists - Gerrard with her inimitable, mesmeric style and Perry’s haunting baritone - they were also gifted, instinctive musicians and their melding of traditional instruments with samplers created a bridge between ancient and modern music.

"Dead Can Dance's final album Spiritchaser was something of an unusual release - it's not as much of an anomaly as the first album, but one can hear the duo wanting to stretch a bit more, however subtly. Perry and Gerrard's personal and creative tensions didn't stop them from creating another fine album, though there's a strong sense the group had finally reached a logical end. Essentially, Spiritchaser is a summing up rather than a push forward; it features all the usual elements of a Dead Can Dance album instead of further explorations to see what else could be done. Toward the Within contributors Ronan O'Snodaigh and Lance Hogan, as well as previous collaborator Peter Ulrich, appear on some tracks here, most specifically on the opening "Nierika" and "Dedicace Outro." Both are laden with lots of percussion -- unsurprising when one realizes that five performers are creating the drumming! Outside of Turkish clarinet by Renaud Pion on the Beatles-sampling "Indus," it's nothing but Perry and Gerrard throughout the album, with another combination and arrangement of multiple influences coming to bear. Both Perry and Gerrard are in fine voice throughout, their strong singing still the centerpiece of their work, but there's almost an air of predictability to their approaches at this point (perhaps explaining Perry's greater experimentation on his solo debut years later). Interestingly, overtly rock elements like Morricone-styled electric guitar appear at points amid the usual melange of various percussion instruments and arrangements. It works surprisingly well, indicating where the duo might have gone had they continued on. Spiritchaser ends on a strong note, the gentle, mysterious "Devorzhum," a Gerrard-sung number that makes for a grand conclusion." - Ned Raggett, All Music

Track Listing:

1. Nierika
2. Song Of The Stars
3. Indus
4. Song Of The Dispossessed
5. Dedicace Outo
6. The Snake And The Moon
7. Song Of The Nile
8. Devorzhum

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