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Danse de Noir is the third album from Germany's Lord Vigo, and I have to say it is not what I was expecting and that's a good thing. What sucked me in initially was the name of the opening track, "The Voight Kampff Situation". Working a Blade Runner reference in right off the bat is a great way to pique my curiosity. The album's lyrics deal with life and death through a Blade Runner lens and work in some movie dialogue (the beginning of "Memento Mori" features some of the conversation between Eldon Tyrell and Roy Batty) and there are quotes woven in here and there. But Lord Vigo aren't retelling the Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep story, not directly anyway. Supporting the introspective lyrics is music that's hard to classify. It's got powerful drum work, fuzzed-out riffs and melancholy keyboards that create an epic vibe and expansive aural vistas with vocals that are the kind that need to grow on you but suit the music. The closest comparisons are Manilla Road and Cirith Ungol, though Lord Vigo don't really sound like either band. It's more about not sounding like other acts. Danse de Noir is a grower but if you are looking for something that won't remind you of a hundred other albums, it is one to seek out.