Album
Type : Full Length
Date
Released : 22/11/2013
Label
: Cyclone Empire
Down Among The Dead
Men, album track listing :
1) Draconian
Rage 02:06
2) The
Doomsday Manuscript 01:35
3) As
Leeches Gorge 02:13
4) The
Epoch 03:12
5) Adolescence
Of Time 03:23
6) Bones
Of Contention 01:59
7) Dead
Man’s Switch 02:17
8) A
Handful Of Dust 02:33
9) Infernal
Nexus 01:54
10) Dead
Men Diaries 02:26
11) Venus
Mantrap 02:23
12) Down
Among The Dead Men 02:15
13) The
Stones Lament 02:15
Bio :
DOWN
AMONG THE DEAD MEN, a new musical project coming soon from the minds of Dave
Ingram and Rogga Johansson. Dave is well
known from his time as vocalist for two of England’s mightiest Metal legends,
BOLT THROWER and BENEDICTION along with his Danish band DOWNLORD and his
current two online radio shows, METAL BREAKFAST RADIO and LAMBERT’S BASEMENT.
Rogga is equally legendary with multiple bands under his belt, including
PAGANIZER, RIBSPREADER, EDGE OF SANITY, PUTREVORE, REVOLTING and THE
GROTESQUERY to name but a few.
Joining them is Rogga’s fellow PAGANIZER and RIBSPREADER member, Dennis Blomberg. Session drums on the album will be performed by Erik R Bevenrud and future live shows by Matte Fiebig. Live bass duties will be arranged at a later date. DOWN AMONG THE DEAD MEN’s musical style has been specified as Crust-riddled Punk with a definite Death Metal edge. The band have recently completed the first full length album which is released this November on CYCLONE EMPIRE RECORDS
Joining them is Rogga’s fellow PAGANIZER and RIBSPREADER member, Dennis Blomberg. Session drums on the album will be performed by Erik R Bevenrud and future live shows by Matte Fiebig. Live bass duties will be arranged at a later date. DOWN AMONG THE DEAD MEN’s musical style has been specified as Crust-riddled Punk with a definite Death Metal edge. The band have recently completed the first full length album which is released this November on CYCLONE EMPIRE RECORDS
The Band :
Dave
Ingram | Vocals
Dennis Blomberg | Guitars
Rogga Johansson | Guitars/Bass
Erik R Bevenrud | Session-Drums (only on the album)
Dennis Blomberg | Guitars
Rogga Johansson | Guitars/Bass
Erik R Bevenrud | Session-Drums (only on the album)
Review :
Cyclone
Empire have done it again- the label has so much quality death metal on its
roster it is hard to name a better label out there for this type of thing.
Indeed, this year alone has seen some stunning records (Icons Of Brutality,
Facebreaker etc.). The label's latest brings together death metal legends Dave
Ingram and Rogga Johansson.
Punk/Crust
Death Metal is most definitely the order of the day with this self titled
release. Draconian Rage blasts with the best of them before bringing the
Motorhead-ish tempos that fans of Nails et al will be familiar with. The
Doomsday Manuscript keeps the energy levels up with Ingram's vocals very
powerful and resolutely classic in their delivery. Bolt Thrower always had a
certain musical and cultural overlap with punk/crust and Ingram proves this to
be no coincidence here. As Leeches
Gorge follows swiftly- the record just keeps barrelling forwards- a solo is
thrown into the mix along with a neat refrain of “You only consume” sticking in
the memory effectively.
The Epoch brings a very punky feel to the
riffs, keeping the tempo high but with a slightly less death metal feel. Over
the course of the 13 tracks on the album the sound does not get boring-
excellent riffs and breaks are found in all the songs (check out the series of
riffs in this song for proof). Adolescence of Time is positively feral
in its crusted grooves as double bass drums repeat like machine guns and riffs
are similarly spat out. The tracks are concise and straight to the point- but
all are distinct from each other- no mean feat with this style of music. Bones
of Contention begins with a more DM approach but the d-beats make a return
before too long as the song melds its parental genres effectively. Dead
Man's Switch again invokes Motorhead to start with memorable vocal lines
and, yes, a superb switch to head nodding tempo at the half way mark.
A Handful of
Dust starts
Carcass-like with an excellent riff, kicks up a notch, then moves between the
two for the remaining two minutes. Infernal
Nexus is a more straight forward proposition, coming in at under two
minutes of punky directness. Dead Men Diaries follows with a similarly
sparse running time, and similar frenetic approach. Venus Mantrap has a
stomping introduction and a kind of mid-period Entombed vibe in its groove.
Again, the album is shown to be deftly track listed; you won’t get bored as
there is variety of approach. Next up is the self titled track, from this self
titled album. It is a furious two and a bit minutes- solos, blasting, crust and
death metal are all present and correct here. Indeed, as a title track it makes
a statement and firmly lays out what the band and record are all about. The
Stones Lament closes the album powerfully leaving your ears ringing and
considering the relentless nature of the songs laid down here.
Aggressive,
powerful, deftly delivered and a perfect distillationof the genres referenced
by the band's press release; if you have an interest in Bolt Thrower, Nails,
Black Breath, Entombed and so on then you must hear this record. Uncompromising
iron fisted spite!
Words by : Richard Maw
For
more information :
