The Dead Archives - NO CLEAN SINGING

Three days ago, in an amazing episode of serendipity (and/or synchronicity — I’m not quite sure of the difference), I listened to three songs in a row by three different bands that blew my socks off (I’m missing other items of clothing as well). The sound of each song is unusual and different from the others, but hearing them all together was an even more remarkable experience because despite their musical differences they all seem to operate on the same wavelength.

I use the word “wavelength” because I can’t think of a better word at the moment. All the songs are mainly slow or mid-paced, they all generate a very dark atmosphere, and they all become quite intense in their bleakness.

So, here are the three songs in the order in which I heard them. If you’re willing to go exploring with me, I recommend you listen to all three back-to-back. (I feel like a DJ.)

ATOMIKYLÄ

I learned of this band through a recommendation by Kim Kelly ( to whom I bow in gratitude). Their name is Atomikylä, and their members consist of people from Dark Buddha Rising and Oranssi Pazuzu, which may give you a clue about what you’re about to hear — but that’s all it is, a clue. Continue reading »

I originally intended to write about only one song from this album, as part of a collection of three striking songs from different bands that I heard back-to back a few days ago. I’m still going to do that — later today in fact — but after I made my way through the rest of this album I felt compelled to write about the album as a whole. Why?

Because Deathsteps To Oblivion is one of the most apocalyptically crushing albums I’ve heard all year, and also one of the most exotic — it really doesn’t sound like anything else I’ve heard. And for an album that’s terrifyingly bone-crushing, it’s also ridiculously addictive.

Deathsteps To Oblivion is the third album by a band from Brisbane, Australia named The Dead. It’s my first exposure to their music, so I’m not competent to compare this new one to what has come before. But if what preceded Deathsteps is in this same collapsed and cut-down vein, I want to hear it. Continue reading »

OFF THE BEATEN PATH: ATOMIKYLÄ, STILLA, THE DEAD

THE DEAD: “DEATHSTEPS TO OBLIVION”