What to say about Salem that hasn’t already been said a thousand times worse by a thousand blogs? Hump Day News can at least say this much: the blogs slept on Salem’s “comeback” album Fires In Heaven because the bloggo world has moved on.

Good news is that the real world still digs good music and Salem hasn’t lost a beat. The trio has since ejected their witchhouse provocateuse Heather Marlatt. The new album misses her contributions, but the core appeal of Salem’s sound was always the electronic machinations of John Holland.

Holland could keep the Salem train rolling as long as he wanted, provided he stocks each album with enough of his signature transcendent electro-filth ballads.

But first things first, Salem needs to get their shit together and decide if they want a music career. Maybe they don’t and that’s cool too.

Our highlighted track “Capulets” leads off the streaming album on Bandcamp but never made the vinyl version. Why? Who knows. Were there licensing issues with the heavily sampled track, pulling from Sergei Prokofiev’s “Montagues and Capulets?” Hearing Jack Donoghue sludge rap over the Russian composer’s ballet score is genius we need more of.

Share, stream, buy to your heart’s content.