The Serpent's Egg

by Dead Can Dance

The Serpent's Egg cover art
  • Type: Album
  • Released: 24 October 1988
  • Label: 4AD
  • Country: Australia
  • Length: 36:15
  • Community rating: 4.05/5 from 12 ratings

Artists on this release: Andrew Beesley, Lisa Gerrard, Alison Harling, Rebecca Jackson, Tony Gamage, David Navarro Sust, Sarah Buckley

Album Notes & Community Reviews

Exploring sacred choral chants, polyphonic singing, and ancient acoustic instrumentation, 'The Serpent's Egg' is a haunting dive into neoclassical and neo-medieval soundscapes. Lisa Gerrard's otherworldly, improvisational white voice and Brendan Perry's sombre baritone guide the album through deeply spiritual, mythologically rich territory. It solidified their reputation as unparalleled masters of atmospheric, historical worldbeat, creating an ethereal and distinctly anachronistic listening experience.

Genres

Descriptors: medieval, mythology, atmospheric, folklore, droning, ritualistic, vocal, majestic, choral, ambient, orchestral

Tracklist

  1. The Host of Seraphim (6:18)
  2. Orbis de Ignis (1:35)
  3. Severance (3:23)
  4. The Writing on My Father's Hand (3:49)
  5. In the Kingdom of the Blind the One-Eyed Are Kings (4:12)
  6. Chant of the Paladin (3:48)
  7. Song of Sophia (1:24)
  8. Echolalia (1:16)
  9. Mother Tongue (5:16)
  10. Ullyses (5:09)

Credits

More from Dead Can Dance: full discography