Until December

Although Until December's lone album didn't catch on at the time of its release, it's become a cult favorite of DJs and darkwave fans, thanks to a blend of industrial-strength disco grooves and goth metal guitar power that was probably a decade ahead of its time. Produced by Ken Kessie, Until December does contain one stab at the mainstream — a rocked-up, deadpan cover of Blondie's "Call Me" — but the rest of the material here is edgier, inspired by the dark side of club/dance homoerotica and featuring a predominantly gloomy worldview, especially on angst-ridden tracks like "Slave" and "Free Again." However, the music is almost uniformly excellent, as frontman Adrian Sherburne's crunching power chords add excitement to the mechanized beats and Hi-NRG basslines. Until December's crowning achievement comes on the club hit "Heaven," which sets the group's best melody atop a locomotive rock-disco backing track (and is even better experienced on the extended remix, unfortunately not included). One of the lost albums of the '80s, Until December deserves a CD release at last, but until then is worth seeking out on vinyl or cassette.