Labels: Eolian Empire – We Empty Rooms
Review by: Alex Deller
You have to have a grudging respect for bands that start their records in such an awful way that it’s like a goad or a threat or some other slur on the listener’s judgement. Aussie noisemongers DEAD do that. Their album starts with some subtle percussion and then grinds into an off-kilter, off-time bout of shitsmithery that just about demands you punch them “” or yourself “” in the face. The bass and the drums work against each other rather than in harmony and the vocals groan and gurgle from some distant corner. Gradually, however, the band decide to hit their stride and by the song’s end they’ve built up a good “” if grudging “” head of steam. This wilful awkwardness is present throughout, but things get better and better. I’m reminded a lot of godheadSilo and early Melvins, but while humour and absurdity were present in those bands’ recordings I find these admirable qualities replaced with sickness, menace and rancour. Elements are drawn from sludge and noise-rock, but I don’t think DEAD sit easily within either sphere. Their drum/bass/vox combo is too rangy to crush wholesale and too fluid to invite more than passing AmRep accusations. Instead they slip and slop between worlds as the album progresses, from the ominous spoken word of ‘Murder Hollow’ to the propulsive demolition work of ‘Inherit The Wind’ and the lengthy, dynamic, steel-framed album closer ‘Lego Men’. It has taken me some time and multiple listens to convince me that this is a very good album indeed, but so it is. And if I like it this much then there is a very slim chance that you might enjoy it as well. Slim, but a chance worth taking. Yes?