Regional One - Dead Silence



I’ll level with you here: upon my first listen to this song, I was confused. Anyone would be forgiven for thinking that the first ten seconds of Dead Silence, led by low synths and synthetic vibraphone, would lead into a mumble rap track about drinking too much cough syrup and having colourful hair. Of course, such an indication would cause most rock fans to stop listening almost immediately. Perseverance is rewarded in this case, however, because there are no further hints of mumble rap (thank Christ) for the rest of the single. Much like John Cage’s 4:33 and any Sunn 0))) song, this is a good example of how rewarding it can be to listen to more than the first ten seconds of a song.

The rest of this song is a satisfying modern heavy rock stomp, complete with menacing, minor riffage, spooky guitar harmonies and high-flying vocals. Think of Avenged Sevenfold circa 2009, strip away all of the bits you wish they hadn’t put in their songs, then you’re about there with Dead Silence. Crisp production and rich instrumentation ensure that these riffs pack plenty of punch and that the haunting clean vocals don’t fight with the growling, aggressive guitar work. Overall, a pleasing listen. Infinitely better than mumble rap, that’s for sure. 

For Fans Of: Avenged Sevenfold, Trivium

DEAL (Drop Everything and Listen): Yes

BP

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

REVIEW: Man in the Arena - a rebirth for The Sound of Origin

Image
The Sound of Origin are back with their second full-length in three years, Man in the Arena . After the release of the excellent The All Seeing Eye during lockdown, the band appeared at Bloodstock Festival for the first time in 2021 and recorded a cover of Alice Cooper's Sick Things for Pale Wizard Records. A rebrand followed, introducing a new drummer in Jack Walker, also of Gandalf the Green . On Man in the Arena , he brings a distinctly different flavour compared to the previous drummer, assuredly stamping his mark onto the band. Other than that, the deliciously fuzz-soaked riffs are still present and the other addition to personnel is Kyle Thomas, famously of Trouble , Alabama Thunderpussy and Exhorder , who lends his distinctive vocal prowess to two songs on the record. What does it sound like, then? Sound of Origin - Lockjaw/Morning Bird (live at Bloodstock 2021) The two Kyle Thomas-guested songs are a neat encapsulation of the two sides to Man in the Arena . Frail Old
Read more

ARTICLE: Why I love Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

Image
On this day 50 years ago, Black Sabbath released Sabbath Bloody Sabbath on Vertigo I didn't grow up in a household of heavy music, so my first memory of hearing metal is being in my friend's kitchen at around seven years old, at the time when The Osbournes was on the telly. I didn't know what Black Sabbath or metal was back then, but I picked up on a couple of earworms that turned out to be Sabbath songs later down the line. Fast forward to the age of 13 and I was chatting to an older mate of mine about music. When I told him that I was listening to a lot of Green Day and Kings of Leon, he turned his nose up and told me I should try a bit of Black Sabbath and get into metal. I went to a youth club in my village back then and a few months after that conversation I noticed a CD lying by the player at the end of a night with 'Black Sabbath Greatest Hits' written on the front. I stole it, put it on my mp3 player (showing my generation here) and brought it back the n
Read more

LIVE REVIEW: Bands, breakdowns & beers on Sunday at Rabidfest 2023

Image
Rabidfest is a yearly event in Oxford that's seen the likes of Discharge , Diamond Head and Blaze Bayley headline through the years. I was there for the first time last year as a performer and was really impressed at how well-run the event was; this year is no different, with friendly security, bar staff, organisers and front of house, as well as a ton of incredible bands. I'm only able to make the Sunday this time unfortunately, but I'm still left with some serious local and national talent to enjoy for a full day.  I get to the Bullingdon to the sweet, dulcet tones of Fetus Destruction blaring out of the speakers. With a band name like theirs, and directly titled songs such as 'Kunt', you can make a good guess at what to expect, but what you wouldn't necessarily take for granted is just how tight they are as a live unit, with particularly intense drumming and an excellent lead vocal. Despite playing around two in the afternoon, there's a sizeable and
Read more