|
Yes! Dead Hearts' self-titled, debut MCD, rather than just hinting at a promising future, is a solid, albeit brief, introduction to a motivated and enthused hardcore band. The group doesn't sound entirely unique, but their fusion of sporadic, rock n' roll-oriented riffs and meaty hardcore oozes energy, catchiness and attitude. Like Bars and The Suicide File, no matter how confrontational the lyrics or in-your-face the shouts, the music is downright fun to listen to.
As simple numbers suggest, hardcore bands are increasingly pairing the accessible tempos and simplistic, memorable instrumentation of rock n' roll with similarly stripped-down hardcore. R'N'R, The Suicide File and Bars, amongst others, have all done it in their own ways. Dead Hearts got in on the style and, although the band seems to have been influenced by their peers, the final creation still features the sheer energy and catchiness that made it sound so right in the first place. Why alter a good formula if one can pull it off with skill, anyway?
Rock n' roll influences don't play a role in all of the songs, though. The first three songs on this MCD comprise the band's most recent material, and the third song, "Small Town Tragedy" is a straightforward, rapid-fire hardcore song with some melodic layering and a lot of gang vocals. The second five songs are actually from the band's original demo, but they have a formidable recording quality, so the transition between the two portions is pretty seamless. "Dear Jane Letter" is the standout of the five, closing with a massive sing-along and plowing along at a dangerously fast speed.
Dead Hearts really surprised me with their debut MCD; even the group's demo material sounds like the output of an experienced band with chemistry. I'm truly excited to see what Dead Hearts can do on a full-length. If they can improve on what they've done, it'll be pretty huge.
|
