Album Review

Dead Sons – The Hollers & The Hymns

• 8th Mar 2013

Dead Sons walk a tricky tightrope. They’re not quite raucous enough to sit in the firmly credible heavy rock camp but they’ve got a bit too much kook to sit in with the indie crowd. As it works out, they fit into a kind of Brian Jonestown Massacre by way of Sheffield bracket that takes in a short vacation with Kyuss along the way. There’s a psychedelic tang to the Dead Sons sauce that adds an interesting aftertaste to an otherwise palatable if a little bland offering on tracks like Shotgun Woman, but when the rumbling bass of Bangonfullturn kicks in, ears are pricked once more.

Dead Sons are at their best when they’re being oddball, and while they don’t quite trip down the rabbit hole that made Turbowolf such an exquisite new proposition, there are some genius musical moments here. In part, the band would probably benefit from a less retro/DIY production style; one of the things we missed the most was that fat, booming production that these songs were crying out for. There’s just as much balls in the riffs that Dead Sons are peddling as any, but it does feel as though they’ve been deflated a little somewhere along the line in the recording process.

There’s nothing really new or ground breaking about what Dead Sons are serving up on The Hollers & The Hymns, but this brand of sweaty, hip shaking rock and roll just never goes out of fashion and the band certainly know their onions. Eerie slow number Temptation Pool is one of the main highlights here as it lurches towards the grave like a ghoulish corpse possessed by the spirit of Ennio Morricone. Not a bad offering, but we’re going to need a little bit more convincing that Dead Sons have something special to bring to the table.

Venue: The Hollers & The Hymns
Support Band: Self Release