9 X Dead
We were recently sent a copy of the new album, Cursed, from Caerphilly based 9xDead to see what we thought. Describing themselves as a dark rock band with elements of Goth, Punk and Metal, and stating that they embrace the pain, mixing the strongest and darkest feelings from the depths of the human soul; hate, guilt, desire, fear, revenge, jealousy and despair to create powerful music – this sounds like it’s going to be an interesting journey.
Fading into being with Diablo, the feeling is immediately set dark and haunting, the drums building up to begin the track accompanied by a sludgy and distorted riff. As the track begins to take form you find yourself immediately pulled in to the mix, listening out for what’s coming next and what’s going to happen. As the vocals kick in, the track fully takes form and powers on, retaining the sense of darkness whilst also keeping a classic metal sound to proceedings, the whole melee forming a track which is both haunting and engaging at the same time. This is a track which is sure to get live crowds chanting along, it’s got the right pace and structure to get wanting more and joining in with the band, and as an opener it works!
As The Patriarch kicks in, everything seems to pick up a notch, this time leaning more on the metal/punk side of the fence whilst still keeping the darkness of Goth there to be seen through the chord progression through the track. Alternating the beat between up-beat and slowed down you’re faced with a track which makes you want to move, want to hear more and want to see whether this is as good as you imagine on the live scene. What’s really striking on this track is how the band have managed to combine all of their elements without having one over bearing influence running through the music, every element is balanced and works with one another to create the track as a whole, rather than one person stealing the show. The result is a track which will infect your mind and find you humming it even days after you last heard it. As if to secure their stature, Unspoken follows on and launches straight into a funk tinged riff before breaking everything apart to its most basic elements. The contrasting loud to relatively soft further accentuates this bands ability to craft a track which will engage you whilst making you question exactly what you’re listening to, I for one can’t pick a genre which this fits firmly within and it’s refreshing to see. The sound is unique, heavy, melodic and dark all at once, once again penetrating your mind and haunting you whether you want it to or not – but it’s oh so worth it.
I’m Ruin seems to make a change in the album, this time opening much more on the metal side of things with more of those awesome sludgy riffs and a soaring lead line intertwined amongst it. The vocals this time further enhance the backing music, once again telling the tale of the track as the drums and bass back everything up and add more depth to things. The resulting track here is one which I would rank amongst my favourites on the album and one which I guarantee you will come back to time and time again. This is another track which I imagine will destroy venues on the live scene, it’s got the beat which crowds will respond to and a chorus which will have people chanting along. Parental Guidance soon takes the lead and launches into a much more upbeat punky track laden with hammering guitar lines, pounding drums and hammering bass rhythms. The sheer contrast in pace to the other tracks makes this a real stand out track from the album, it almost comes as a shock but you soon become accustomed to the jumpy rhythm which is just begging you to move along. My highlight on this track though, the guitar solo towards the end – I mean, Jesus Christ…..that’s incredible!
Hollow On The Inside seems to point to the bands more gothic leniencies, opening dark once again and adopting a slow pace which further accentuates the raw power of the guitar and vocal lines. The bass is prominent on this track as well which further develops the darkness of this one, not making you move this time but making you reflect on things so far, making you question everything you know and just causing you to think – there’s a lot going on in this track and it takes a few listens to fully come to terms with it all. Just as you’ve calmed down and come to terms with the slowed down pace, Cursed comes into being and shatters every illusion of peace and tranquillity which you ever had. Fast paced, thrashy, heavy, distorted and downright dirty, this track is one which straight away picks the pace back up and throws you firmly back into the melee of distorted melodies. There’s a really funky edge to this track as well which further develops it and keeps you engaged as it progresses, something which seems to be testament to these guys ability to craft a track.
Betrayed once again slows things down a bit and gives you a brief respite whilst still managing to pummel you from every direction with distorted guitars and bass. Once again keeping the bass high in the mix, this is another dark and eerie track which will get in your head and not move, it just stays with you for days afterwards. The chorus seems to pin this whole track together for me, it’s almost catchy in the way it is put together and really showcases the ability of the band to work together as a unit once again. Lullaby on the other hand is just downright scary! Opening with music box sounds and children laughing before building into a bass laden section of distorted lead lines and pounding drums. This track is dark, distorted and in your face from the moment it begins until the second it closes, but I can’t get those freaky opening noises out of my head! Spitting the vocals out to further hammer them home, this track may well be scary and have a freaky opening, but it is another one which ranks amongst my favourites from the album as whole.
Final two tracks on the album, Monster and Serenity close the album in the best way possible, showing that these guys are capable of crafting tracks which are heavy, melodic, dark and energetic from start to finish. Notable moments for me on these two are the breakdown in Monster which matches the name of the track perfectly, hammering the riffs out at you and suggesting what this track is like on the live scene, and the solo on Serenity which is quite simply one of the greatest moments on the album as it echoes around in your ears – it’s one hell of a way to close an album.
9xDead seem to be a band on the verge of producing something great and achieving something even greater. Sure, their music is pretty dark at times, but it’s always melodic and has an approach which you can relate to, even causing you to reflect on times gone by and moments which you’ve experienced. The album itself is one which I know I’ll be revisiting to listen to again, and I think that will apply to a lot of people once it’s out there. Distorted, heavy, melodic but throughout allowing you relate what you’re hearing to your own experiences, this album is more than just a moment in music, it’s a moment in life which everyone should experience. From my perspective, I just can’t wait to hear more!
To find out more about 9xDead, check out their Facebook page HERE.
To search for and buy their album - check out Catalogue No. CSK256 and grab yourself a demon album!
Fading into being with Diablo, the feeling is immediately set dark and haunting, the drums building up to begin the track accompanied by a sludgy and distorted riff. As the track begins to take form you find yourself immediately pulled in to the mix, listening out for what’s coming next and what’s going to happen. As the vocals kick in, the track fully takes form and powers on, retaining the sense of darkness whilst also keeping a classic metal sound to proceedings, the whole melee forming a track which is both haunting and engaging at the same time. This is a track which is sure to get live crowds chanting along, it’s got the right pace and structure to get wanting more and joining in with the band, and as an opener it works!
As The Patriarch kicks in, everything seems to pick up a notch, this time leaning more on the metal/punk side of the fence whilst still keeping the darkness of Goth there to be seen through the chord progression through the track. Alternating the beat between up-beat and slowed down you’re faced with a track which makes you want to move, want to hear more and want to see whether this is as good as you imagine on the live scene. What’s really striking on this track is how the band have managed to combine all of their elements without having one over bearing influence running through the music, every element is balanced and works with one another to create the track as a whole, rather than one person stealing the show. The result is a track which will infect your mind and find you humming it even days after you last heard it. As if to secure their stature, Unspoken follows on and launches straight into a funk tinged riff before breaking everything apart to its most basic elements. The contrasting loud to relatively soft further accentuates this bands ability to craft a track which will engage you whilst making you question exactly what you’re listening to, I for one can’t pick a genre which this fits firmly within and it’s refreshing to see. The sound is unique, heavy, melodic and dark all at once, once again penetrating your mind and haunting you whether you want it to or not – but it’s oh so worth it.
I’m Ruin seems to make a change in the album, this time opening much more on the metal side of things with more of those awesome sludgy riffs and a soaring lead line intertwined amongst it. The vocals this time further enhance the backing music, once again telling the tale of the track as the drums and bass back everything up and add more depth to things. The resulting track here is one which I would rank amongst my favourites on the album and one which I guarantee you will come back to time and time again. This is another track which I imagine will destroy venues on the live scene, it’s got the beat which crowds will respond to and a chorus which will have people chanting along. Parental Guidance soon takes the lead and launches into a much more upbeat punky track laden with hammering guitar lines, pounding drums and hammering bass rhythms. The sheer contrast in pace to the other tracks makes this a real stand out track from the album, it almost comes as a shock but you soon become accustomed to the jumpy rhythm which is just begging you to move along. My highlight on this track though, the guitar solo towards the end – I mean, Jesus Christ…..that’s incredible!
Hollow On The Inside seems to point to the bands more gothic leniencies, opening dark once again and adopting a slow pace which further accentuates the raw power of the guitar and vocal lines. The bass is prominent on this track as well which further develops the darkness of this one, not making you move this time but making you reflect on things so far, making you question everything you know and just causing you to think – there’s a lot going on in this track and it takes a few listens to fully come to terms with it all. Just as you’ve calmed down and come to terms with the slowed down pace, Cursed comes into being and shatters every illusion of peace and tranquillity which you ever had. Fast paced, thrashy, heavy, distorted and downright dirty, this track is one which straight away picks the pace back up and throws you firmly back into the melee of distorted melodies. There’s a really funky edge to this track as well which further develops it and keeps you engaged as it progresses, something which seems to be testament to these guys ability to craft a track.
Betrayed once again slows things down a bit and gives you a brief respite whilst still managing to pummel you from every direction with distorted guitars and bass. Once again keeping the bass high in the mix, this is another dark and eerie track which will get in your head and not move, it just stays with you for days afterwards. The chorus seems to pin this whole track together for me, it’s almost catchy in the way it is put together and really showcases the ability of the band to work together as a unit once again. Lullaby on the other hand is just downright scary! Opening with music box sounds and children laughing before building into a bass laden section of distorted lead lines and pounding drums. This track is dark, distorted and in your face from the moment it begins until the second it closes, but I can’t get those freaky opening noises out of my head! Spitting the vocals out to further hammer them home, this track may well be scary and have a freaky opening, but it is another one which ranks amongst my favourites from the album as whole.
Final two tracks on the album, Monster and Serenity close the album in the best way possible, showing that these guys are capable of crafting tracks which are heavy, melodic, dark and energetic from start to finish. Notable moments for me on these two are the breakdown in Monster which matches the name of the track perfectly, hammering the riffs out at you and suggesting what this track is like on the live scene, and the solo on Serenity which is quite simply one of the greatest moments on the album as it echoes around in your ears – it’s one hell of a way to close an album.
9xDead seem to be a band on the verge of producing something great and achieving something even greater. Sure, their music is pretty dark at times, but it’s always melodic and has an approach which you can relate to, even causing you to reflect on times gone by and moments which you’ve experienced. The album itself is one which I know I’ll be revisiting to listen to again, and I think that will apply to a lot of people once it’s out there. Distorted, heavy, melodic but throughout allowing you relate what you’re hearing to your own experiences, this album is more than just a moment in music, it’s a moment in life which everyone should experience. From my perspective, I just can’t wait to hear more!
To find out more about 9xDead, check out their Facebook page HERE.
To search for and buy their album - check out Catalogue No. CSK256 and grab yourself a demon album!