The awesome alt rock/metal band Dead Reynolds have been releasing great singles for a while now, finally bundling up the last five into an EP to show off to the world. I’m not particularly familiar with the band, but I do like the bands they claim to sound like, so am exited to check this out!
After intro ‘Unite’ sets the scene and themes perfectly, as well as building up the soundscape fantastically, ‘Hurricane’ blew me away (pun very much intended). The big riff exploding in with the synth on top created a massive sound. It’s very akin to modern Bring Me or Architects, in all the best ways. The clean vocals and stripped-back instrumentation through the verses makes it a bit lighter, definitely earning its alt moniker and Mallory Knox comparisons. It all builds to an awesome chorus, massive and built for massive stages. And we also get a surprisingly excellent guitar solo tucked in the middle, a rarity in this sort of music. However, it was technically excellent and fit the style of the track perfect. It’s a fantastic album opener that really showcases everything that the band are about in just over three minutes. Great stuff!
Single ‘Fly Away’ has more of a modern pop-punk feel to it, which is pretty awesome! It gives Neck Deep or even our friends over at REDSMITHVII vibes, yet still has that underlying synth that really makes the sound massive. It’s another massive, hugely catchy chorus, too. Meanwhile, a couple of riffs are still chunky enough to keep it sounding heavy overall. The track’s arrangement is a bit more simplistic and radio-friendly, too. There’s less wiggle room for some awesome instrumental parts, but it’s still a fantastic song. That chorus is gonna be stuck in my head for days to come!
Most recent single ‘Animal’ slows things down a tad, the piano intro setting the pace for an almost Linkin Park-like riff and feel. It brings in the punky attitude again with the vocals; it following a similar formula as the opener with the more stripped-back verses building to the massive choruses. I love the lyrics throughout this song too, they’re really well written and the emotion in the delivery fits them perfectly. Oh, and of course it’s catchy yet again. The band write arena anthems for sure. The drop-down to the rapping in the middle was surprising but AWESOME, too. It almost gave off Enter Shikari vibes. I’d love to hear more rapping from them, if I’m honest! It’s another fantastic song overall, and one that easily makes our playlist!
The same structure is followed in ‘Save Me’ and closer ‘Wake Up’. Both are still fantastic tracks, don’t get me wrong. I always find it’s easier to stick to a similar style with an EP, given the smaller length. And the band do a great job at showcasing some incredible tracks here; there isn’t a bad one at all. I just feel like it’s hard to talk about a few tracks that are all fairly similar. That and my tiny attention span makes it harder for me to listen consistently without a change in styles or pace. But they did enough to keep my dumbass brain entertained throughout all five awesome tracks.
Overall: This is a great little EP! Every song packs plenty of punch and is certainly memorable. There isn’t really a highlight too, as they’re all great! If you’re a fan of the genre you should definitely check this out, you won’t be disappointed.
The Score: 8/10