New Dead Radio - Avalon Bridge Will Burn
Rating
RIYL
AmenRefused
Marilyn Manson
Glassjaw
Tracklist
01. Revolution Blues02. Sepia
03. ...From The Leaning Tower
04. People Are Pigs
05. Wish Them Well
06. Live The Lie
07. Belage 723
08. The Burning Of Avalon Bridge
09. Gift Horse
10. Reject Flag
11. Selfish Song
12. A Blacker Ink
13. Broken Parade
14. Deported
15. Remember
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Noisy, grimy, nasty, relentless, scary, desperate, and brutal are just a few of the adjectives you could use to describe this no punches pulled Los Angeles outfit who, when they start shredding, just don't quit. The debut effort from New Dead Radio is unforgiving and dangerous, so strap in tight because you’re headed for an encounter with one of the murkiest and fieriest pits of hardcore/metalcore to hit the independent scene.
The album opener “Revolution Blues” is most definitely a statement of intent from the boys of NDR. As the initially choppy phrasing collapses in on itself in a cascade of thundering bass, pulverising drums, and spiralling riffage you will be confronted with the vocalist spitting out the opening line “You’re so polite…”. However this is far from being a polite introduction, but instead is an all guns blazing assault on the listener. If this track doesn’t grab you and say, “Listen the fuck up or go home!" then this band is not for you.
What may be a deterrent for many listeners is NDR’s vocalist’s supremely harsh vocal tones. It is definitely an acquired taste that some may not be able to become acustomed to, but it does fit the genre. The man sounds like he’s been gargling absinthe while someone took a cheese grater to his vocal chords, but in a good way. His confident and arrogant sneers / snarls / screams are the perfect compliment to this cacophony of chaos.
Production is handled nicely by Chuck Johnson (Slipknot, Glassjaw, At the Drive-In), with the band's astoundingly energetic, raw sound remaining beautifully intact. Elements of all three of the aforementioned bands that Chuck worked with can be found on this disc, with NDR sounding somewhat like Slipknot at their most menacing. The vocals are challenging (similar to Glassjaw) and the lyrics are brutal (ala ATDI). In hindsight Mr. Johnson was an excellent choice to work on this record.
Standout tracks include “…From the Leaning Tower”, which contains a somewhat bizarre, high pitched (to the chipmunkth degree), spoken intro, but then immediately makes up for it by smashing the listener in the face with a barrage of riffs and scream-fueled mayhem. Later on in this episode the listener is also treated to some excellent bass work and an extremely atmospheric keyboard section -- tasty! Another interesting track on this disc is comes in the shape of the heavy, grinding “Belage 723” which musically and vocally represents something of a departure from the group’s “bread and butter” hardcore sound. The track almost sounds like one long (but extremely powerful) breakdown, while the vocalist wails “who’s gonna be your motherfucker now?” In a pleasant surprise, this track also contains elements of spoken word (delivered like poetry) similar to some From Autumn to Ashes songs, which is pulled off extremely well and can be found scattered elsewhere on the CD.
All in all, this album is a very, very strong effort. Mixing elements of hardcore with thrash and even a liberal smattering of punk, this album will appeal to those not afraid of pure, unbridled aggression associated with any of the “core” genres.
--Rhys Duggan
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