The Dead - Ritual Executions ( updated )

From Brisbane, Australia comes a trio of Deathly Doomed zombies known as The Dead. I don't know much about the history of the band, just the music on this album and the previous "Nocturnal Funeral" EP. One thing is certain, they do sound like they have been listening to Hooded Menace a lot and if they haven't its a striking coincidence. The Dead have a similar, crawling, thick as molasses sound but do tend to be pushing more towards the Death Metal end of the Doom Metal spectrum. The line-up of vocalist Mike Yee, guitarist/bassist Adam Keleher and drummer Chris Morse recorded this album in 2 days. As with the previous EP, the band are raw and primitive but there is some amazing musicianship at work here. The vocals of Mike Yee are sickening, demented, singing like a man possessed. The bass playing of Adam Kelcher is incredible, you can listen to the bass alone and be blown away by the parts he plays. Drumming from Chris Morse is primitive but fits the style and sound perfectly.

This ugly beast of a album begins with "Burn Your Dead" and they keep you hooked with repetitive but some killer riffing that is both heavy and twisted beyond repair. There is the odd tempo change to keep it interesting but its mainly a seething monster of deathly Doom Metal for eight minutes or more. "Cannibal Abattoir" sounds like Hooded Menace having some primal intercourse with Ramesses, its faster, chaotic at times with a sense of primal energy. "Centurion" locks the band into a mid-paced groove and some other passages similar to the opening track. "Born In A Grave" has a lot more variation that the other tunes but stands out as being little more than filler. Originality is something, The Dead are seriously lacking in and this track really stands out as something i have heard many times before.

Title track, "Ritual Executions" is back to the chaotic, raw Death Metal side of the band and is a endless assault on the senses. A major highlight of the album and the track most likely to stick in your head after spinning the disc. "Blood Angel" is pretty standard stuff from The Dead and the other real filler track on the album but the album closer called "Death Metal Suicide" brings the quality level up a notch with some hypnotic instrumental passages that show the band are capable of some great music, sadly the whole album doesn't shine like this tune does. The Dead suffer from being very un-original and poor production but most of the songs contain some killer heavy riffing. The vocals i really like but some may find them a little too processed and gimmicky. However, the band still have manage a solid release despite a couple of minor flaws and there is no doubting their sonic capabilities. It must be noted there is two version of this album, the first was a version released by the band that was limited to 100 copies, the newer version has been re-mixed and re-mastered and is on the Diabolical Conquest Records label which is pretty new but has huge potential to be a major force in the underground. The re-mastered version sounds much clearer and crisper so its the version you must seek out to hear the band at its best. If you like Hooded Menace, Ramesses and Toadliquor, you should find this to be a worthy purchase. 8.5/10

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Diabolical Conquest Records