Diamanda Galás (album)

Diamanda Galas is the self-titled second full-length album by avant-garde performer Diamanda Galás, released by Metalanguage Records. The album is now out of print and consists of two lengthy compositions.

Musical Style

Panoptikon (named after Panopticon, a type of prison building designed by philosopher Jeremy Bentham) deals with imprisonment, isolation, torture and extreme alienation as well as homicidal mania and vengeance. It incorporates tape, electronic manipulations and distortion to create a futuristic, industrial and claustrophobic feel. Composed by Diamanda Galas, additional lyrics are taken from In the Belly of the Beast by criminal and author Jack Abbott.

Tragouthia Apo To Aima Exoun Fonos (Songs from the Blood of Those Murdered), recorded in 1981, comprises solely of vocals in numerous vignettes. The recording is similar in texture to Wild Women With Steak-Knives, but when the latter was hysterical and loud, Tragouthia is slow, ghoulish and mournful. The singer was inspired by the tradition of Greek mourning rites, where the women mourn the dead as well as seeking revenge for the person responsible for the death. The words of Songs from the Blood of Those Murdered are sung in Greek and refer to the victims of the Greek junta regime that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974.Composed by Diamanda Galas.

Track listing

Side A:

1. "Panoptikon" - 15:22

Side B:

1. "Τραγούδια από το Αίμα Εχούv Φονός (Tragouthia Apo to Aima Exoun Fonos - Song from the Blood of Those Murdered)" - 17:19

Personnel

• Phil Brown - Mastering
• Diamanda Galás - Vocals
• Ed Herrmann - Recording (Side B)
• Larry Ochs - Executive producer
• Bob Shumaker - Engineering
• Richard Zvonar - Technician

References