Speak for the Dead are the kind of band that make you cherish living. When your caffeine doesn’t do the kick, and you need several thousand volts more of charge in your body. A band that doesn’t let Instagram and trends do the talking, but their music is grizzly enough to give you goosebumps. After a taste of what they can wage in Chromewrecker in 2024, they return with an album that screams their name. This is their self-titled debut full length album.
Metal, the way to make it
From the moment you press play on Whatever it Takes, you know you’re in for the good old with the awesome new. Technology might have added a lot of refinement to music, but you still need to know how to play it. Speak for the Dead lets the ground rumble with the tone of the guitars, the monologue creating the kind of drama that good thrash needs. From their inspirations Power Trip, they are able to give us riff overkill and bass foundations that might make you shiver.
Rather than look for ambient buildups, they take it upon the axe and strafing drums to create the sound that will make them stand out. It is a supercharged number, The World We Know, for it shows their dynamism and absolute class in composing something like this. The next is an absolute mosh pit magnet, with Fighting in the Pit. Imagine Megadeth on steroids supplied by Slayer. This was a highlight track, especially if you’re listening to this in order (which I hope you are). It’s a punch loaded with dynamite headed towards a mountain face.
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A collection for the ages
Speak for the Dead are an inspiration to bands that want their music to speak for them. No matter how they approach a song, it’s clear they like playing music that kicks in the adrenaline in generous portions. They’ve ensured the wait has been worth it, with production doing explicit justice to the kind of music they’ve put together. Rearview Riot get in more big guns, with meaty bass and a symphony of electric guitar guiding you into the track. Lucky you-you get to hear everything they have prepared for in one shot.
I enjoyed Rearview Riot with the kind of anthemic nucleus it has. The precision the band is able to bring in without compromising the feel is something else. It’s something only a performer and musician can truly sense-where it’s almost as though the band is performing in front of you. Seamlessly, the band gets into the next track, keeping the barrage of songs coming. The balance and compositional grit gives you hope that there are bands and music out there that can make an impact-despite the state of the industry and the world as we know it. If we’ve been buried so long, I’m happy there’s a band out here that can represent us:
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Disclaimer: This release was brought to you by a promotional campaign by the artist, PR, or management label
Self professed metalhead, moderately well read. If the music has soul, it's whole to me. The fact that my bio could have ended on a rhyme and doesn't should tell you a lot about my personality.
