Album Review: Almost Dead - Destruction is All We Know
Reviewed by Sam Jones
Almost Dead are a band who’ve been in existence for more than twenty years and yet, prior to this release, I’d never heard of them before. Forming in 2002, Almost Dead, fronted by the now sole original member and vocalist Tony Rolandelli, hail from California, United States, and released their first studio work in the form of their self-titled album in 2007. Throughout the years, the band haven’t opted for Eps or Splits, instead focusing their efforts nearly solely on full length works. Now, prepped for a January 26th release date, Almost Dead return with Destruction Is All We Know, their first full length work in three years, releasing through Innerstrength Records. My very first exposure to Almost Dead, I was particularly convinced to check this out since the band are down as support for the upcoming Atheist/Cryptopsy tour. It’s a nice and convenient way to familiarise myself with the band before that tour comes round.
I had a general idea going into this record what it would consist of; finding symphonic keys dotted throughout their work was not one of them. While it’s not a massively fundamental part of their record, Almost Dead immediately break away from your expectations by including some of these keys right at the start of their record. From that point on, anything becomes fair game for the band to implement since their audience will be on high alert for other, unorthodox aspects Almost Dead could use herein. I think it was absolutely necessary for this element to come across early on in their record as, aforementioned, I thought I knew what I’d be getting but found myself second guessing that.
Sometimes you think you’ve heard every feasible combination when it comes to a thrash record, but then you hear pummelling bass drums that can very easily go from one to a hundred in a moment’s notice. The drumming on the whole is otherwise entertaining but it does surprise me how unrelenting their sound actually is, ranging from these very fast drum fills to outright blast beats (in a thrashy album!) exhibiting the tom-Tom drum’s taut skin that’s been aided in the mix to give off a resonance that hits us hard yet doesn’t linger for too long. The production has seen to this, for the rest of the band’s performance is one that aims and strikes us wholly where they wish to but doesn’t wish to stick around for too long, because Almost Dead are already lining up the next barrage of attacks. Much the same can be said for the drums as their strikes dissipate quickly, and the record doesn’t become overfilled with an abundance of sound. Therefore, the drums show us the band’s approach to their soundscape.
Just when you think you’ve got the band down, Almost Dead then demonstrate a keen understanding of melody. I enjoyed this especially since the band, leading up to their melodic moments, offer zero buildup to what they’re about to do; there’s no handholding occurring here as the band simply thrust you into the mix of their performance and you simply have to deal with it. It’s through this notion that I really felt the Hardcore element oozing through their sound as they definitely exude that Hatebreed aesthetic albeit with a much thrashier style than most Hardcore acts would possess. While the band’s style is certainly punchy, I respect the inclusion of dabbles of melody now and again to lighten the load this album otherwise is bristling with; knowing the vocals also morph to suit the more melodic instances is great as it showcases they’re fully realised parts of their performance and not merely tacked on for the sake of adding variety for its own sake.
Having helmed the vocals since the band’s 2002 inception, Tony Rolandelli’s performance is equally powerful and commanding as he darts back and forth between the typically gruff performance and a more visceral style that he easily maintains above the punching riffs. Now on their sixth album and over two decades later, the band show zero sign of slowing down and therefore Rolandelli is to be commended for maintaining his vocal strength for as long as he has done for, we know how hardcore-styled bands sound like vocally, we understand their deliveries are much more baritone and deeper in timbre. Yet we also know this can be more grating on our vocal cords, so Tony’s performance is great as not only does he provide the expected but imbued Almost Dead with a versatility you don’t find often in these hardcore/thrash acts. It also means every track will have a little something to be found that will be different from the rest too.
In conclusion, this sixth full length album from Almost Dead was a great introduction for myself to their music. Hardcore/thrash records aren’t usually my thing but I was taken aback as to how well written various segments of Almost Dead’s songwriting was at times. People may have ideas as per what to expect here but the band pull out all the stops to set themselves apart from the scores of similar acts these days. It’s no secret that Hardcore is making something of a revival right now and I’d certainly deem Almost Dead as being amongst the tip of that spear, for while they embody everything that makes the hardcore style what it is, they still went out of their way to give their songwriting a life of its own so it can stand on its own two feet as a thrash album just as much as it garners towards the hardcore crowd. At under forty minutes long there’s plenty to unpack and discover inside, immediately smashing my expectations and offering more than I originally thought from the get go. Almost Dead are currently slated to support Atheist and Cryptopsy on their upcoming run of UK shows and I will certainly want to catch them for myself.
