The back story to this band and album is so incredible that it is tempting to say, "surely not?!" I am reviewing this album having not seen the documentary about them from 2012 and nor have I heard any of their re-released material. I come to this cold, as a Death virgin and all I can say is that will be remedied post haste. This is a monumental album by anyone's standards and regardless of its history. It's also one of those short and sweet, ten track half hour albums that punk bands have been so enamoured of through the ages. Why does this work so well? I am unfamiliar with the science of attention spans but it leaves you wanting more, that's why.
'Relief' is not what is required from this album but it is the lead track. "It's party time, that's how I feel, it's time to rock n' roll, that's how I feel". It is a classic rock track rather than punk but the energy is palpable. 'Look At Your Life' is 'Axis: Bold as Love' played at 45rpm. 'Story Of The World' has an acoustic intro before shifting into something approaching a traditional punk song with battering ram drums although this is then interspersed with some slow breaks. It is shit hot and radical man.
'The Times' has a chugging riff to drive it before it explodes and shards of lead guitar burst outward. 'Playtime' is a great example of what is so good about this album. It's all about the sentiment and unless you can mean it without meaning it you will do nothing less than embarrass yourself. I imagine Dave Grohl trying to pull it off and just thinking about it makes me cringe.
'At The Station' and 'Who Am I' change the tone a bit. They are more laid back and also favour repetition on the vocal front. Some might argue this is a little annoying but I quite like it. "Who am I? Where am I and how did I get here? These are perfectly good questions to ask, particularly if you are lost at the station. 'You Are What You Think' is perhaps my least favourite track due to the growl in the vocal which doesn't quite work for me but it is still good. 'Resurrection' I guess could be how it must feel for Death? This ties in nicely with the subject matter of the final track, 'Change', which is all about life being a constantly evolving thing. Yeah man.
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The thing that strikes me about this album is just how much it is shot through with hippy ideals, as opposed to the nihilism of punk and perhaps in some ways Death are the band that show where these two worlds overlap? In terms of actual sound I was quite surprised how high and clear the vocals are in the mix. This does not sound particularly punk to these untrained ears but it does make sense.
This band believe in what they do, they believe in who they are and what their message is (if indeed there is a message) and therefore, they want people to hear it and amen to that. The guitar on this album especially but also the vocals and overall 'vibe' is pure Hendrix and has me reaching for 'Axis' as mentioned previously, and in particular 'Castles Made Of Sand'. The other band I get flashes of is Living Colour which in some ways makes perfect sense in terms of lineage but also sound. In short, Death becomes us.
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