Kai as a permanent member

[H. Blackrose]

good point, Kai kind of looks like an anime girl

[ruffers]

"Andrew is besotted with Kai"

[Being645]

Yeah, he definitely inspires him to recognize and improve parts long neglected. However, this had not been possible without Davey re-editing all the old Doktor's recipes, without Chris having other commitments in 2019 forcing Von to look beyond the well-worn trails of his outworn secluded environments and have Dylan join the band (nothing all so new considering Chris Sheehan was a New Zealander for example, but hell how long ago was that?) and even without Dylan getting lost last year and ... without Ben introducing these great musicians to the band and suggest Kai this time... ...

Beyond that, we all know how.long. Si, Chris and Ben and large parts of the fanbase have tried to open Von's eyes to new developments and the chances that have always been there to create some more great stuff. But hell, sometimes it takes more than a step and a day to break down walls ... fair enough though, The Sisters have always improved and refreshed their act from tour to tour in exciting, suprising and astonishing ways... ... With Kai now and Ben and Chris, they look so strong and with wide and fresh and extended horizons and deserts before them to explore, can't but wish them all well ... ...

[g44fr]

Hope he can bring new tunes to the band.

[ruffers]

It's about how they work as a mix. Diamond Black songs with Ben in charge aren't for me. Esprit d' air similar.

A bit of magic Von sprinkles then who knows...? Fingers crossed.

[Fallon]

...forcing Von to look beyond the well-worn trails of his outworn secluded environments and have Dylan join the band (nothing all so new considering Chris Sheehan was a New Zealander for example, but hell how long ago was that?...

Wouldn't read too much into the nationalities of these fellas. They were both living locally to Von, one way or another, when invited to join. There have been quite a few indications over the years that the practicalities and logistics of joining the band are honestly one of the key determining factors for Eldritch

I think the guy just likes interesting people (ties into his oft-repeated quote that "everyone should want to be part of something bigger than themselves" imo), and people who make sense logistically (anyone else get the feeling Ben wasn't entirely kidding when he said that Dylan's owning a particular vehicle was one factor in Von's decision to hire him?).

I'm still no fan of any of Kai's other output, but the same is true of Ben, for me - and he and I share quite similar musical tastes. I thought it would be a bit weird having someone in the Sisters whose background was, not to put too fine a point on it, a bit more overtly "g*th", but all a Sister really ever needs to do is bring some sort of influence to bear on the band; the closest thing to a, ahem, m*****n statement or consistent theme across all iterations of the Sisters Of Mercy is that it changes its shape according to its membership. Kai opens up the options for quite a lot of songs, so has definitely achieved that... still not sure I want them to actually write any Sisters songs though.

[eastmidswhizzkid]

It's about how they work as a mix. Diamond Black songs with Ben in charge aren't for me. Esprit d' air similar.

A bit of magic Von sprinkles then who knows...? Fingers crossed.

the word that Brother Paul is looking for is 'Gestalt' -something being more than the sum of its constituent parts.
It's like good & bad sex - its down to the chemistry between ALL of the participants, not the 'skills' (snort) of any one individual... i assume it is any way. been that long ive forgotten what to do..

[H. Blackrose]

New Zealander here. Trust me, looking at his previous work with The Exponents or The Muttonbirds (both eminently mainstream rock), you would have never thought Chris Sheehan would be Sisters material. And Yet.

[Chief Cohiba]

Being the new kid here I hope I'm allowed to have my say on this old(er) story as well.

I saw the show last Nov. in Vienna, so less than a month after Kai joined. I was aware of the change shortly before, having read some reviews, so I expected some limitations in his stage works, and there where some. His guitar parts weren't that refined, I had more the impression though obviously him being a great guitar player, he's just playing along, not yet having dedicated guitar parts in the songs. Sound and mix wasn't that good as well (and Vons voice problems didn't make it better it any better. No, I'm afraid that wasn't a brilliant gig. I want to keep it politely).

What was surprising to me, though, was the presence and positive energy Kai added, also Von obviously was more than happy to share stage with him.

Also, given all the limitations of his rapid onboarding, I was positively impressed by Kai's additions and enhancement of the sound. Having seen the Sisters last time before in 2017, the transition from the kind of full-force-shred-outfit it was then to the more wide range sound (or what could have been with proper sound and mix) that I experienced last fall was quite amazing. It's not surprising Mr. H.'s sound contribution and guitar work in FALAA come into mind.

So at least I hope him contributing more to the Sisters, adding live as well as to new songs, hopefully. Also I do think that his visual style definitely adds to the band, in a way rejuvenating as well as enhancing it. I think he brings quite some potential with him.

And I think he's compatible with both Ben and Von (and hopefully Chris, but no reason why he shouldn't), so yes, I'd be happy to hear/see more from him in the Sisters.

[mh]

Being the new kid here I hope I'm allowed to have my say on this old(er) story as well.

I saw the show last Nov. in Vienna, so less than a month after Kai joined. I was aware of the change shortly before, having read some reviews, so I expected some limitations in his stage works, and there where some. His guitar parts weren't that refined, I had more the impression though obviously him being a great guitar player, he's just playing along, not yet having dedicated guitar parts in the songs. Sound and mix wasn't that good as well (and Vons voice problems didn't make it better it any better. No, I'm afraid that wasn't a brilliant gig. I want to keep it politely).

What was surprising to me, though, was the presence and positive energy Kai added, also Von obviously was more than happy to share stage with him.

Also, given all the limitations of his rapid onboarding, I was positively impressed by Kai's additions and enhancement of the sound. Having seen the Sisters last time before in 2017, the transition from the kind of full-force-shred-outfit it was then to the more wide range sound (or what could have been with proper sound and mix) that I experienced last fall was quite amazing. It's not surprising Mr. H.'s sound contribution and guitar work in FALAA come into mind.

So at least I hope him contributing more to the Sisters, adding live as well as to new songs, hopefully. Also I do think that his visual style definitely adds to the band, in a way rejuvenating as well as enhancing it. I think he brings quite some potential with him.

And I think he's compatible with both Ben and Von (and hopefully Chris, but no reason why he shouldn't), so yes, I'd be happy to hear/see more from him in the Sisters.

That's 100% the same impression I had from Kai's joining the band.

For context I saw the first 4 shows, including the fiasco at the first Roundhouse night, the second Roundhouse night when nobody knew if there would even be a show, and the subsequent first shows as a three-piece. I also saw one of the mid-tour shows when Kai was still relatively new, and the last 3 shows by which time he'd settled in well.

I really felt that he brought more texture and colour to the songs that just wasn't there before. The old chugga-lugga-lugga was fun, in it's own way, but Kai's addition gave it something new that I didn't know it needed until after the fact. Even little things, like the added "ping" at the start of Marian, made a difference.

His energy onstage was also a vital addition, and seeing the way he bounced and spun around made the band more exciting to watch.

None of this is to downplay the contributions of Dylan or Chris before him, just that the addition of Kai added something new to this iteration of the band.

[Chief Cohiba]

None of this is to downplay the contributions of Dylan or Chris before him, just that the addition of Kai added something new to this iteration of the band.

Haven't seen Dylan life, but am sure he was great and would never doubt the merits of Chris - nor those of Ben, just to make this crystal clear - but, yeah, it's this new spirit you mentioned that Kai adds with his skills and personality. He doesn't change the band, but evolves it. He adds some air (how apt) and subtleness that fits in well.

Also I think this added airiness helps Vons voice, as he's not forced to compete with the sound of an full revved up road train all the time.