I have said it before.. for me, SCRIPTURES was a risky move that sadly went off-balance. Following the near-conceptual excellence of ATROCITIES, Valor had the chance to make the next big move. And set for an ambitious purpose: attacking and demystifying all religions: a noble cause indeed, but musically, SCRIPTURES didn't work. Next to the fantastic "Song of songs (sick of love)" and the uptempo "Four horsemen" was the disappointing "Vanity" and a series of incomplete samples-heavy projects spanning the saga 'womb of time' in side B, that thankfully featured Gitane's excellent "Raw war". One positive element is that the ideas were there---- even since the B side bizarre experiments of the WIND KISSED PICTURES record, Valor had proved that he was an avid NON/ Death in June/Current 93/Skidoo 23 fan-- esoteric ritualistic "ambient-industrial" soundscapes adding to the established poetic romanticism of mid-80s Christian Death.

For the next move, Christian Death returned with a down-to-earth approach. Of course the bombastic, shock-tactics front cover suggests otherwise, with Christ shooting a heroin dose (!) but the minimalistic production, the impressively hurt lyrics, the performances, even at their most agressive and bitter, demonstrate a turn towards songwriting rather than demonstrating for the sake of it (the main reason for SCRIPTURES' off-balance).

Musically, SEX, DRUGS AND JESUS CHRIST takes a slow but steady turn towards the heavier side of 80s dark music. I think it can be labeled safely as gothic rock. There is, however, a range of synth and sample arrangements--courtesy of Gitane Demone, who would sadly quit Christian Death, and Valor, after the HERETICS ALIVE live album and tour in 1989, leaving for Holland to launch a cabaret/jazz career.

"This is heresy" features the album's open anti-religious attack as a powerful opener. With its gradual build, the bass lines creating the essential groove, Valor's low key singing imposing and ironic, the guitar chords pounding up the tension, starting and stopping with each verse.... "Enfeebled by vice, dear God, allow me to show gratitude, for my fortunate eyes of truth...Lord, how long shall the wicked triumph on earth?". Valor cranks it up towards the end, his echoing voice concluding the song in excellence. One of the album's best moments and possibly one of post-Rozz most recognizable Christian Death anthems.

"Tragedy" and "Wretched mankind" are two great gothic rockers--- featuring heavy synth work in the background and Valor's excellent performance. More poetic, surprisingly hurt in "Tragedy", where the clever lyrics associate the images of sea and ships with the downfall of love and faith, echo on the vocals and pounding drums, more agressive and misanthropic in "Wretched mankind" where the great riffing and the tension builds throughout the song.

"The third Antichrist" ends Side A with a ten-minute ranting of Valor's nihilist apocalyptic vision over layers of effects, synths, loops and chaotic sounds of distortion. All the experimental elements of "industrial mayhem" from Valor's previous influences and works appear here, embedded in a gruesome track.

There is a nice melodic guitar chord set for the intro of "Erection", above a distant sound of someone moaning (...exm). Electric distortion then storms in, and Gitane gets her first full-front appearance here, lyrics of enigmatic lust overflowing the speakers. She only had two appearances in this album, but both were bitterly erotic, and sweetly lethal.

"Ten thousand hundred times" features distortion on Valor's vocals for the first time---but we're miles away from the heavy distortion of PORNOGRAPHIC MESSIAH. Here, it simply sounds as another one next to the song's other endless FX, a mess through which the steady tempo and the guitar chords create another unsettling mood---in other words, another great song. Type O Negative have certainly spent hours listening to this record.

"Incendiary lover" is simply the album's best song, and among the greatest of this band. A fantastic, seductive, decomposing erotic masterpiece where everything collapses upon Gitane's shivering performance and Valor's composition, lyrics of hate and love blended in a deadly coctail, pounding drums, guitar and violin courtesy of Valor adding up to the experience... "she undulates beneath him, miasma, seduction, slow and innocent corruption, transgressing all frontiers, beyond bordellos, incendiary lover, lost in the threshold of time, they said that he was dirty, dirty, INCENDIARY LOVER".

"Window pain" is a marvellous, endless instrumental that ends the album suitably, guitar riffs and nervous rhythm section trading places with keyboard mayhem and loops, before fading into synths ambience as the salvation of the exit sign.

The album proved to be Christian Death's bigger seller, and led to an extensive tour, that left Valor with a live album and Gitane's departure out of the band and his life. He would then venture into the vindicating but troubled oddball of ALL THE LOVE ALL THE HATE, a project spanning two vinyls, one for love, and one for hate, but both generic and admittedly uninspired. No wonder it would take 5 years before Valor would manage a comeback with the decent SEXY DEATH GOD.

To put it simply, SEX, DRUGS AND JESUS CHRIST is Christian Death's final masterpiece. I think that is enough.