From time to time, Destroy//Exist shines a light on an album which has profoundly influenced the music we value the most. D//E Select serves as a commendatory showcase, offering the chance to spotlight those favorites which deserve continual recognition.
Burning from the Inside is the fourth studio album by Bauhaus, released in 1983 through Beggars Banquet. The album achieved moderate chart success and served as the final work of the band’s original era until their 2008 reunion album, Go Away White. Although often underrated, it remains a divisive record, with some viewing it as evidence of the band’s decline, while others regarding it as one of the finest dark records in post punk history.
At the time of the album's production, lead singer Peter Murphy was sidelined by pneumonia, forcing the remaining members to take on a lot of the writing and recording responsibilities. It was a shift in dynamics which is clearly reflected in the album, with bassist David J and guitarist Daniel Ash performing lead vocals on four tracks. Combined with Murphy's absence during the initial recording stages, it all contributed to internal tensions within the band, leading to their breakup by the time the album was released.
Forty years later, photo app filters aim to replicate what Bauhaus achieved with the cover art of Burning from the Inside: transforming a landscape photo into a stylish, enigmatic design which is both visually pleasing and almost abstract. The magnetism of the album begins with its striking cover, flows through its music, and leaves a lasting impact with its overall artistic vision. Burning from the Inside is a fully realized, essential record which remains impossible to overlook.
Musically, Burning from the Inside is more diverse than the band's previous three albums, experimenting with a range of sounds including dub, punk, darkwave, and folk, alongside the dark post punk base which solidified Bauhaus as a formidable force.
The album's signature track and record opener, She's In Parties, is a dark exemplar which encapsulates much of Bauhaus' character. Songs like Kingdom's Coming and Slice of Life demonstrate how their gothic essence remained foundationally strong, while more unconventional tracks, such as the ritualistic darkness of King Volcano and the uplifting facade of the album closer Hope, reveal the band's brilliance and undeniable class.
Experimenting with many different genres and sounds, Burning from the Inside serves as a surprisingly optimistic conclusion for a band steeped in dark intensity. Despite its brief 40-minute runtime, the album navigates through passages of darkness and moodiness, ultimately culminating in a final ray of hope. It delineates Bauhaus' natural progression, and hints at the directions the members would explore in the bands and solo projects they created in the later years, all of which are well worth exploring.
ZR