RETURN OF THE DEAD ... AS IN DEAD CAN DANCE, WHOSE FANS EAGERLY AWAIT A RESURRECTION AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL.

Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer

For somebody whose music has been described as alien, dour and even frightening, Lisa Gerrard laughs easily.

The female half of the influential transcultural duo Dead Can Dance seems perpetually amused while discussing the history of a group that was often given the eyeliner-streaked ``goth'' label simply because of the word ``Dead'' in its name.

``It's always been an albatross,'' she said. ``We got a lot of bad press from goth fans who expected something very different from what we were offering. But those who did come to see us early were extremely intelligent and sensitive, and they quickly realized this was good even though it wasn't what they imagined.''

Appearing in the U.S. for the first time in nine years, the mesmerizing Dead Can Dance - vocalist Gerrard and guitarist Brendan Perry, plus musicians - performs Sunday at the Hollywood Bowl with a 50-piece orchestra. The evening, featuring French duo Nouvelle Vague as the opening act, concludes the L.A. Philharmonic's summer music series.

Blending rhythms and instruments from various eras and continents, Dead Can Dance explored an enchanting musical world over seven albums during the '80s and '90s. Darkly mysterious, the music features Gerrard's wordless vocals, recalling Gregorian chants, underpinned by synths, dulcimer, bouzoukis and other unusual instruments.

``The idea for the name came from African masks - the sense that a dead piece of wood can have life breathed into it by the sculptor,'' Gerrard said.

Fans, who come from many walks of life, are loyal to the point of obsession.

``The music doesn't tread over existing genres,'' said award-winning composer Jeff Rona, who will conduct the orchestra Sunday and recently collaborated with Gerrard on the soundtrack to ``A Thousand Roads,'' a 40-minute documentary about American Indians that is now part of a permanent exhibit at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. ``It's very subtle, beautiful and timeless, and it appeals to so many people. Everything they do carries tremendous emotion.''

Since Dead Can Dance stopped recording, Perry released projects on the groundbreaking 4AD label, while Gerrard is acclaimed for award-winning movie soundtracks and a series of acclaimed solo and collaborative albums. Her soundtrack work can be heard in ``Gladiator'' (for which she won a Golden Globe), ``The Insider,'' ``Ali,'' ``King Arthur,'' ``Collateral'' and ``Whale Rider.''

Gerrard's first movie score was director Michael Mann's 1999 thriller ``The Insider.'' Mann had used some of Gerrard's songs in his previous film, ``Heat,'' and thought she would be perfect for the drama about malpractices in the tobacco industry.

``I said, 'I don't write music for film,' '' said Gerrard, 44, who is of Anglo-Irish extraction and lives in Australia. ``I was busy with my own music and didn't see the point. But Michael's got this approach where you're doing it before you even realize you're doing it.''

On the current Dead Can Dance tour, in which the only other concert with an orchestra is at Radio City Music Hall next month, Gerrard says she's noticed something new and surprising about Americans.

``They're highly analytical people,'' she said. ``They're starved for accurate information, but the potential for clarity and perception is high. And they're not so completely swayed by fashion as they are in Europe.''

Fred Shuster, [phone]

fred.shuster(at)dailynews.com

DEAD CAN DANCE

Where: Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles.

When: 7 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets: $4 to $110. [phone]; ticketmaster.com.

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Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry - the two halves of Dead Can Dance - will conclude the Hollywood Bowl's summer season when they perform at the outdoor venue Sunday night.