Clan of Xymox has been in the unfortunate position of always being compared to other bands since their inception. Whether it's the Cure or Joy Division, Clan of Xymox has never been able to shake off the similarities to their influences. Nevertheless, the group has produced an impressive body of work that consistently absorbed new sounds while remaining faithful to the '80s goth rock menu.
Clan of Xymox was formed in Nijmegen, Netherlands, in 1983 by Ronny Moorings (vocals, guitar) and Anka Wolbert (bass, vocals). A year later, Moorings and Wolbert moved to Amsterdam, releasing the LP
Subsequent Pleasures as Xymox. (The album was limited to 500 copies.) Xymox then became the opening act for Dead Can Dance in England. The band's presence on Dead Can Dance's U.K. tour caught the interest of 4AD Records, and the label eventually signed them. A year later, Xymox lengthened their name to Clan of Xymox and recorded a self-titled album in 1985, followed by
Medusa the next year. In 1987, the group shortened their appellation to Xymox once again, contributing another version of "Muscoviet Mosquito," originally on
Subsequent Pleasures, to the 4AD compilation
Lonely Is an Eyesore. After the release of the single "Blind Hearts," Xymox left 4AD and joined Polygram/Wing.
In 1989, Xymox released
Twist of Shadows, their most commercially successful LP, selling 300,000 copies. The infectious and uncharacteristically upbeat "Phoenix of My Heart" landed on the modern rock charts in 1991. However, the full-length
Phoenix didn't do as well as
Twist of Shadows. Wolbert departed from the band that year, replaced by bassist Mojca Zugna. In 1992, Xymox left Polygram/Wing for ZOK Records. Xymox record two albums for ZOK Records -- 1992's
Metamorphosis and 1993's
Headclouds -- before switching to Tess Records in 1997 for the album
Hidden Faces. Moreover, Moorings called the group Clan of Xymox once again.
In 1999, they signed with the Metropolis label and released
Creatures, which was followed a year later by the two-CD
Live. The 2001 album
Notes from the Underground was reinterpreted on the double remix CD
Remixes from the Underground, which landed in 2002.
Farewell from 2003 was a themed album with bittersweet goodbyes to lovers and friends the main topics. The 2004 collection
The Best of Clan of Xymox found latter-day highlights next to re-recordings of the band's early material. Two years later, the album
Breaking Point was announced by the single "Weak in My Knees."
Clan of Xymox
