By: Mark Tremblay
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 03/11/2017
Label: Artoffact Records
All
of the nuance and balance on this record really make it an experience that
never bogs the listener down. It is for these reasons, that Dead Quiet’s “Grand Rites” is one of the best
Canadian Metal records of the year.
“Grand Rites” CD//DD//LP track listing:
1). Moon Curser
2). Blood Lovers
3). Corpse Revival
4). Disgraced
5). Fucking Oath
6). Dear Demon
7). Old Hopeless
8). Spiritual Abuse
9). Grand Rites
The Review:
Dead Quiet’s second full length
“Grand Rites” sees the band fully
forming their blend of classic rock and stoner metal. What was merely a nod on
their self titled release is now fully integrated on “Grand Rites”. For
band leader Kevin Keegan, this is his best album to date. Following his progression
from the early riff-sandwich that was Barn
Burner all the way to the more sophisticated Dead Quiet, it has been
great to see the progression in his voice. His voice has gone from being in the
background on previous releases, to being the main focal point of this album.
The vocal range and variety exhibited by Kevin Keegan on “Grand Rites” has come a long way since “Bangers”.
Most
notably on “Grand Rites”, Dead Quiet has
incorporated keyboards into their sound. The addition of former 3 Inches of Blood guitarist
Justin Hagberg, the 70’s influence is now fully embraced by the band. This is
apparent on the albums early tracks like the Deep Purple infused “Moon
Cruiser” to the white room re-imagining of “Blood Lovers”. Elements of Creedence
Clearwater Revival become apparent on “Corpse Revival” which morphs into an onslaught of Slayer oriented thrash
riffs.
Perhaps
what makes this album so enjoyable is its tasteful use of every element it
brings to the table. The amount of acoustic instruments featured on tracks like
“Dear Demon”, and “Ritual Abuse”, for example, really
make its heavy elements shine through. All of the nuance and balance on this
record really make it an experience that never bogs the listener down. It is
for these reasons, that Dead
Quiet’s “Grand Rites”
is one of the best Canadian Metal records of the year.
“Grand Rites”
is available here
