(Translated from my original Italian text by ChatGPT and Piero Scaruffi)

The achievement of the Mission (if it can be called an achievement) lies primarily in having transformed gothic rock—from an underground phenomenon into a chart-topping one—even more than the Cult did.

Formed in 1986 by Wayne Hussey (formerly of Dead Or Alive and the Sisters Of Mercy), the Mission quickly became a “sensation” of the “grebo” (i.e., neo-hippy) period thanks to singles like Serpent Kiss, Garden Of Delight (featuring classical-style violin, cello, and piano), Stay With Me (worthy of the most melodramatic synthpop), Severina (with female vocal trills and Mediterranean strumming reminiscent of the best Morricone), and (especially) Wasteland, the most melodic and compelling, which was doubled on the album God’s Own Medicine (Mercury) by Sacrilege.

The Mission exploited the same insight as the Cult: a revival of hard rock, cleverly dressed up as a gothic/decadent phenomenon and driven by danceable disco beats. On top of that came elaborate arrangements reminiscent of Echo And The Bunnymen. Hussey, a mediocre singer, nonetheless possessed a vocal tone as despairing as Bono Vox.

The influence of Led Zeppelin is especially strong on Children (Mercury, 1988), which features standout tracks like Beyond The Pale and Tower Of Strength.

Once the hard rock pretensions were dispelled, Carved In Sand (Mercury) retained only the baroque surface of the Bunnymen (Amelia, Butterfly On A Wheel, Hungry As The Hunter, Deliverance).

Masque (Mercury) continued their trajectory in an unusual keyboards-heavy dance-rock.

Neverland (Mercury) returned to their roots, i.e. to the sound of Led Zeppelin's third album (Sway, Celebration), with a touch of New Order in Swoon and the usual "grandguignol" in Raising Cain and in the grand final melodrama Daddy's Going To Heaven Now.

No matter how much dust had settled, Aura (Metropolis, 2002) was still pure Mission, both in the gothic/evocative department (Evangeline) and in the lengthy, tortured department (In Denial).