Album Review

Death Remains – Stand Fight Believe

• 4th Nov 2013

London based metal band Death Remains came into being about three years ago, and their debut album is now ready for release. Fans of the hardcore genre will probably love this one, but while there is plenty of energy and as many big guitar riffs as you would expect to hear, it all feels a little unoriginal. And no matter how much hardcore I listen to, I just can’t take to the screamed vocals at all. The lyrics become indistinct and it distracts from the musical backing too.

Barry O’Connor (vocals) and Marc Yacas (guitar) were previously members of After Death, but the drowning of two bandmates while on tour in Brazil led them to start again. They changed the name, recruited three new members: Eljay Lambert (guitar), Gaz Martinez (bass) and Jai Patel (drums), and continued to make music. As Death Remains they have previously self released an EP and also gained a good reputation as a live band.

The album’s opening track Work Sleep Repeat gives a good feel of the drudgery of life after a lively intro that includes a good guitar part. And O’Connor’s vocals in the middle section shows that he has a strong and melodic rock voice when not screaming. The Northern Line Massacre uses sound effects well to set the scene and the massive echo on the chanted chorus works well. And the slower beginning to the title track is well constructed, a largely instrumental song with only the screamed title itself breaking through, which gives added emphasis to the message.

There is a feel of defiance all through this album. The title gives the hint and the past tragedy that the original members of the band faced is perhaps used as an inspiration. We got through our hard times, they seem to be saying, and so can you. It’s a powerful message imparted with a powerful sound. The frenetic drumming and strong bass work are a feature of many tracks and the twin guitar sound is occasionally fluid and melodic. But ultimately most of the tracks on the album have a very similar structure and sound. It’s not a bad album by any means, but I can’t help but think that it’s all been done before.

Venue: Stand Fight Believe
Support Band: In At The Deep End Records