The Dead is a Death/Doom metal band hailing from Brisbane, Australia. They had their album Ritual Executions released in the year 2009 independently and was reissued in 2010 by an Indian based record label called Diabolical Conquest Records. This album certainly does not disappoint after being reissued one year after its initial release. The album was recorded at Wavelength Studios, Brisbane. It was recorded and mastered by Aphotic Mote.
The album contains seven songs opening with ‘Burn Your Dead’. The song begins with a doom metal pace with the tempo of the music to the heaviness of the slow riffs. The drums break into a double-bass pedal section in the background with deep growls by vocalist Mike Yee. The next track ‘Cannibal Abattoir’ has an increased pace starting with the drums which are a combination of blast-beats and jazz-influenced beats. There are similar yet contrasting motifs in other tracks like ‘Centurion’ and ‘Ritual Exceptions’. The guitar riff threatens to go off tune in ‘Blood Angel’ that adds a nice touch. There are moments where the band has incorporated industrial elements into their music; like in the track ‘Born In A Grave’, where they’ve used industrial influenced drums. The album’s closing track ‘Death Metal Suicide’ is the longest track clocking in at 10 minutes. It’s one of the best tracks in this album, having jazz influenced drum beats along with the bass line in the background ruling the whole track. Though it is slow paced, it speeds up at 6:20 minutes before slowing down again at the 6:45 mark. The bass also maintains a low thundering growl throughout the whole album ensuring that its presence is felt.
The guitar tone on the album is fuzzy and heavy at the same time making it more interesting to listen to. It is similar to that of bands such as Acid Witch and Electric Wizard, creating a dark atmosphere constantly throughout the album.
8eight8music Score: 8/10
– MeghaMind
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