The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band formed in Leeds in 1980. After achieving early underground fame, the band experienced a commercial breakthrough in the mid-1980s, sustaining their success until the early 1990s, when they halted the release of new records in protest against their record company, WEA. Currently, although the band operates primarily as a touring outfit, they continue to perform new and unreleased music live.
The group has released three original studio albums: First and Last and Always, Floodland, and Vision Thing. Each album was recorded by a different line-up; singer-songwriter Andrew Eldritch and the drum machine known as Doktor Avalanche are the only constant elements throughout. Eldritch and Avalanche were also involved in the Sisterhood, a side project linked to Eldritch's disputes with former members.
The Sisters of Mercy ceased recording activity in the early 1990s when they went on strike against East West Records, whom they accused of incompetence and withholding royalties, while pressuring the group to release at least two more studio albums. Instead, the label released the album Go Figure under the name SSV in 1997.