Dead Quiet
Grand Rites – CD // DD // Vinyl
Artoffact Records – released November 3, 2017
Reviewed by Zachary “+Norway+” Turner
Lineup:
Aaron “Boon” Gustafson: Bass (Anciients, ex-3 Inches of Blood (live), ex-SprëadEagle)
Jason Dana: Drums (ex-Karen Foster, ex-SprëadEagle)
Brock MacInnes: Guitars (Anciients, Tobeatic, ex-Venomous Tusk, Percheron, Rotting Hills, The Blood River Band, ex-Hammer of Hades)
Kevin Keegan: Guitars, Vocals (ex-Barn Burner, Klandestīn)
Justin Hagberg: Keyboards ( Worse, Black Wizard (live), Allfather, ex-3 Inches of Blood, Klandestīn, Ritual Dictates, ex-Roadrunner United, ex-The Villain Avian Symphony)
Previous Releases:
2014 – Demo
2015 – “Self Titled”
Tracklist:
Moon Curser 08:26
Blood Lovers 06:37
Corpse Revival 08:26
Disgraced 05:41
Fucking Oath 06:12
Dear Demon 08:10
Old Hopeless 06:37
Spiritual Abuse 05:02
Grand Rites 08:48
Review:
On bandcamp the band describe their sound as, “…influences ranging from doom metal to classic rock, Dead Quiet seeks to meld melody with catastrophe as they weave through a dissonant landscape of crushing metallic riffs and somber choral musings.” Dead Quiet masterfully delivers this is high fashion with “Grand Rites”. If you recognize some of the members’ names above that is because Dead Quiet are the closest thing to a modern day “Supergroup”.
As a follow up to their first album it fits in well. They have improved sonically and sound as if they are maximizing the talents of each member while making it a cohesive and flawlessly executed throughout the 64+ minutes and 9 tracks that comprises “Grand Rites”. With their roster set, there truly isn’t a dud in this second album. Like I said before this album is an improvement over the first, they went from a good first album to a great second and sadly, more times than not, bands do the opposite due to a myriad of reasons; time constraints, label demands and just the overall pressure of the “Follow Up” from the “Big Debut”.
Keegan’s vocal delivery is certainly worth noting. The songs are packed with acid laced lyrics ranging from Politics to Religion to The Thrill of the 1st kill in closer “Grand Rites” that name a few subject matters. Keegan preaches to the listener; the concert goer. He draws the listener in to pay closer attention as it is impactful, powerful, meaningful, genuine and most important…..it fits perfectly with the band’s overall sound – a melting pot of Rock, Sludge and Metal. We are only at the beginning of 2018 and we may already have a top 3 contender!!
Links:
https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Dead_Quiet/3540399775
https://deadquiet.bandcamp.com/
https://deadquiet.bandcamp.com/album/grand-rites
