This Corrosion

About the song

“This Corrosion” appeared on The Sisters of Mercy’s 1987 album Floodland. It gives Andrew Eldritch’s dark vocal style a markedly expansive setting, built around massed voices and a persistent electronic rhythm.

Sound and arrangement

The production layers choir-like backing parts, synthesizer color and guitar over the beat. Its recurring refrain functions as a large communal response to the lower, more contained lead vocal.

Listening closely

Listen for how the arrangement changes the scale of the voices without abandoning its pulse. Repetition allows the different layers to accumulate, giving the song a sustained sense of theatrical weight.