David M Rangel / June 24, 2025 / Reviews
Peter Murphy has put more than a decade between his last full-length album in 2014 and his latest output, Silver Shade. For many major acts, this would be a feat that would be best avoided in order to keep relevancy intact. But over his 40+ years-long career, Murphy has always crooned, danced, and dramatized to his own personal, oddly-synched drummer. He’s not a man who has ever followed trends; instead, he has created them. It’s little wonder that Silver Shade reveals a man returning comfortably to strong form, with new ideas and artistic impulses that come with the experience of 67 years on earth.
The first track, “Swoon”, gives an immediate and unmistakable nod to Murphy’s penchant for David Bowie. The initial driving drum beat comes with such force that it sounds as if Murphy never went on the long hiatus that he did. The song is a dark duet with Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor. The two create an intense tune with a one-word chorus and verses that recognize the inevitable coming of death.
It may not be a coincidence that Reznor and other musical figures of decades past appear on this record. The album focuses heavily on underlying themes such as aging, artistic expression, and the results of time chipping away at both. Martin Glover, professionally known as “Youth,” is at the production helm, while Culture Club’s Boy George and members of Tool also make appearances.
This record shows Murphy as aging gracefully but not docilely. In fact, the long break between records shows a man coming back with a rage against mortality, after beating health and other problems. His defiance isn’t primitive, but grand in an almost baroque, operatic sort of way. His signature dark, wintery baritone voice is as effective as ever with his flair for the dramatic edging close to the cliffs of being “camp”, without actually falling.
Murphy creates a collection of individual, eclectic snapshots that thread together to make a complete photo book. Present are the eerie pulsating beats of Murphy’s days as the lead singer of post-punk/pre-goth band, Bauhaus. The soaring guitars and orchestration of Murphy’s ‘90s commercial heyday as a solo artist are here as well. A newer component is his liberal use of electronics, which surge beneath much of the record and give new life to Murphy’s well-proven sound.
The newness of electronic sounds aside, this album is unmistakably classic Peter Murphy. Murphy’s cathedral vocals roam in and out of the songs with a dark sense of romanticism that can range from calming and meditative to dramatic grandiosity, which feels like it originated in another world.
“Hot Roy” is a drum-laden, danceable track that slow burns the listener into a chorus that sounds like the hypnotic chant of a dedicated cult. It could be accessible to the average music fan, yet too cool for radio.
“The Artroom Wonder” (with Tool’s Justin Chancellor) is a more subdued track with a trance-inducing guitar/synth combination that guides us through rich, Murphy-esque orchestration. “Xavier New Boy” is perhaps the most Bauhaus-like track, setting a sinister mood as if driving into the fog of the unknown. “Silver Shade (the title track) contains a guitar riff reminiscent of early, darker Echo and the Bunnymen, with cryptic lyrics that are as commanding as they are entrancing.
For those who are fans of Murphy’s more accessible work, such as the 1990s “Deep”, a listen to the curiously bright and hopeful “Let the Flowers Grow”, with the aforementioned Boy George, should be in order. This anthemic ballad is arguably a song that will have the most mainstream appeal since Murphy’s Modern Rock Chart-topping single, “Cuts You Up”. It may be a good place to start, to prime new listeners of Murphy for the darker, more colorful sonic textures that are typical of the Murphy sound.
Silver Shade, while not exactly conquering uncharted territory, sounds like a freshly rejuvenated effort from a respected music veteran who retains his trademark sound, but does not strictly remain in the past. His enigmatic vocals and cold, exotic instrumentation remain as strong as ever. This is a record from an artist who shows no signs of slowing down and who, in fact, would be remembered as an important piece of musical history, if it all ended today.
Listen to the album here.
The Indy Review 