Released on August 24, 1999, via Apocalypse Records (and Metropolis Records in the US), Evidence of Heaven marked a dramatic stylistic shift for Monica Richards and William Faith. Moving away from the waterlogged Celtic myths of Annwyn, the duo turned their creative gaze toward the grand, candlelit decadence of the European Renaissance, Baroque, and Victorian eras. The album is a conceptual masterpiece steeped in themes of romantic melancholy, mortality, spiritual longing, and historical drama, perfectly capturing the fin de siècle anxieties of the approaching new millennium.
Recorded at The Eye Socket, the 13-track record presents a highly sophisticated, high-art evolution of the darkwave genre. The band stripped back some of their heavier post-punk guitars in favour of acoustic madrigals, authentic period instrumentation (including prominent use of the viola da gamba and lute), and rich, operatic vocal harmonies. Evidence of Heaven is widely considered Faith and the Muse’s most elegant and structurally refined hour, solidifying their reputation as the undisputed aristocrats of the 1990s dark alternative movement.
Evidence of Heaven plays like a beautifully bound, velvet ledger found in the library of a haunted European estate. If their previous albums were wild and elemental, this record is meticulously manicured, intellectual, and deeply romantic. Faith and the Muse abandon the stormy shorelines for a candlelit parlor of high-art gothic tragedy, delivering an album that feels both ancient and profoundly immediate. It begins with "Joy"—a distant, haunting piano piece that lulls you into a false sense of security, sounding like it's being played by a resident spirit in an empty hall—before plunging the listener directly into a salon where classical discipline meets the raw emotion of the underground.
Monica Richards achieves a career-defining vocal triumph on this record, stepping seamlessly into literary and historical roles. Her performance on the fierce, raging anthem "Scars Flown Proud" and the quietly ominous, piano-driven "Shattered In Aspect" showcases an emotional and dramatic command that few of her darkwave peers could ever hope to match. Meanwhile, William Faith’s production is a marvel of acoustic and electric balance. The transition from the soaring gothic-rock drive of tracks like "The Chorus Of The Furies" to the fragile, melancholic acoustic spaces of "Dead Leaf Echo" ensures the record never feels stagnant, pulsing instead with theatrical urgency.
The second half of the record leans heavily into historicism and literature, weaving in rich Edgar Allan Poe references via "Porphyrogene" (from The Haunted Palace) and a chilling nod to Bram Stoker's Dracula with "Denn Die Todten Reiten Schnell" ("For the Dead Travel Fast"). A major crown jewel of the album remains "Importune Me No More", which sets a raw, defiant poem written by Queen Elizabeth I to gorgeous, neo-classical gothic instrumentation. By the time the final, somber notes of "Old Souls" drift away, the album succeeds in making centuries of classical tragedy feel alive, wrapping historic verse in a sleek, modern, and fiercely alternative lace.
Ultimately, Evidence of Heaven remains a towering achievement because it captured the absolute zenith of late-1990s darkwave sophistication. It didn't just borrow from the past; it lived in it, carving out an incredibly polished, atmospheric masterwork. For those who seek genuine art in their darkness, this album is a sacred, flawless experience.
Ripped to MP3
1. Joy
2. Scars Flown Proud
3. Shattered In Aspect
4. The Chorus Of The Furies
5. Patience Worth
6. Dead Leaf Echo
7. Porphyrogene
8. Through The Pale Door
9. And Laugh - But Smile No More
10. Plague Dance
11. Denn Die Todten Reiten Schnell
12. Importune Me No More
13. Reine La Belle
14. Old Souls
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