Here’s a question you don’t often find yourself being asked at the beginning of an album review…..do you like Dr. Who?
I do / did. It all sort of fizzled out for me during Peter Davidson’s tenure…..oh Tegan….. you saucy little Aussie temptress you…..
Anyway Down Among The Dead Men obviously love it to bits, song titles like ‘Pyramids Of Mars’, ‘Arc Of Infinity’ and ‘Unearthly Child’ give that away. Now I get that out of the way early doors because I don’t want you thinking this is some Whovian nerdgasm record made by blokes who live in their mum’s basement and dress up as cybermen on Saturdays …….no….at least I don’t think so.
This is the bands second album ( I can’t tell you how it compares to their first as I haven’t heard it honestly ) and is some of the best crusty D-Beat death metal I’ve heard since my favourite insolent bastards, The Rotted split up. This is a total belter and one of my fave releases of 2015 so far.
It’s seriously that good….and by good I don’t mean technofretwanksuperbr00talslamtastic. I mean punked up and groovy with a liberal injection of Stockholm fuzz….. which is no surprise since everyone’s favourite death metal workaholic riff master Rogga Johansson plays guitar in the band…. Seriously, the bloke has fingers in more pies than a leper in a cooking contest!
The band is completed by former Bolt Thrower / Benediction growler supreme Dave Ingram and Rogga’s Paganizer mate, Dennis Blomberg on guitar too. Session drummer, Erik Bevenrud is responsible for smashing the D-Beats thru your lug holes.
‘Pyramids of Mars’ kicks off the record (and your face) with a totally pummelling death metal assault. A good start but to be honest, probably my least fave track on the record which says more about the quality on offer than the song itself. ‘Warriors Of The Deep’ is up next with some real D-Beat swagger and a killer solo. Track 3 – ‘The Oncoming Storm’ is one of my top tips on this album – 1m44 of total Discharge worship with Dave’s unholy holler all over it. Absolutely fucking perfect and more contagious than an ebola ridden hooker with pubic lice and a nasty cold sore.
‘The Ambassadors Of Death’ is next and continues in the same gnarly, clogged up due to alcohol & fags, vein. Then BOOM! another fucking hi-light in the form of ‘Forged In Fire’…. a totally grinding, heavier than a skip full of tombstones cover of the Anvil classic. Complete with a cheeky little sampled intro (John Hurt from Day Of The Doctor….see, they can’t leave it alone) and guest vocals from my favourite death metal cannibal – Kam Lee. This is a wicked cover with a dirty bass solo and put a big beaming smile on my face. Winner!
I could waffle on all day about how good the rest of this album is (‘Tooth And Claw’ – killer!!!) but to be honest you just need to get hold of this record, down some cheap (yet suspiciously strong) cider, and rock the fuck out to it. Never mind technicality. Eddie Van Halen (whose name you don’t see pop up much in death metal album reviews) once said, “if it sounds good, it is good” and this album is seriously fucking good. They even throw in a Discharge cover with ‘Protest And Survive’ which just underlines how damn fine this record is as it slips in amongst the rest of the songs perfectly. This album is a pool ball in a sock to the face of all the shitty weak pretenders and wannabe death metal bands. Listen up wankers, Down Among The Dead Men are the fucking daddies!
(10/10 Mark Eve)
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