Intense, brutal, and intriguing are just a few words I would use to describe heavy metal group Dead Season. Dead Season’s album When Everything’s Lost is explosive from the first moment to the last. It’s a true metal album chockfull of screaming, double bass pedaling craziness, gut-wrenching riffs, and wailing guitar solos. What more could you want from a metal band? Inspirational lyrics? Yeah they have that too. These New Englanders are anything but tame. When Everything’s Lost is the album you put on when you need to let out some serious aggression. The opening song “Never Decide” is Dead Season’s anthem letting us know this is how they do things —fast and heavy. Lead singer Ian Truman lets us know, “This is my life / This is my only chance to be myself / Can’t take it away.” I wouldn’t dare mess with a man who screams that vehemently.

One aspect that I always look for in a band this heavy is melody. If a hard rock or metal band isn’t melodic, the music often becomes too repetitive and simply way too intense to handle or enjoy. Fear not, Dead Season mixes the melodic with their brand of metal. They are also not afraid to write more heartfelt lyrics. The song “You Keep Me Alive” deals with the death of a loved one, quite possibly Truman’s mother who gets her own song titled “Mother.” Both songs reveal Truman’s pain and suffering. However, the latter song is a more toned down tribute while the former is pure angst. Halfway through “You Keep Me Alive” the song reaches it’s apex and there is full throttle screaming, and the urge to head-bang takes over. Rewind. Head-bang. Repeat.

If you’re looking for 100% fierce, extreme, hardcore metal then listen to “Revelation 6” which I’m pondering putting as my favorite track. That melodic aspect I talked about earlier is completely absent from this song and it’s not a problem. This is the type of song that makes you want to mosh or possibly start a fight. The amps are turned up way past 11 on this one. Just make sure there are no breakables around when you rock out to this fervid beauty.

When Everything’s Lost is an album filled with adrenaline, passion, and most importantly talent. Dead Season makes it easy to enjoy heavy metal.

Must listen to tracks: “Never Decide,” “Revelation 6,” and “When Everything’s Lost”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kristen You can read more about Kristen at her new website http://beerenlightenment.wordpress.com/

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