Dead Hazards ‘Saline’ is a complete album that brings together an arsenal of weapons to cause mass destruction.
Dead Hazards – Saline
The first thing that hits me about this album is the running time of each song and the sheer amount of music on display. It’s clear from the start that this album was made with purpose.
‘Rerouting’ kicks off the album with a tone-setting grunge staple. The song builds in terms of sinisterness and unleashes an undertone of heavy metal. Subtle lyrics are expected and certainly. This takes the title as my track to think about.
A song that is a bit lighter follows, with a heavy emphasis on the word ‘bit’ on ‘Who’s Invited’. ‘Remorse’ has some of the most poignant lyrics on the album, strung together nicely. The repetition of the title at the end is haunting and grand. The powerful vocals over the early sabbath-esc backdrop are a screaming delight. A great stand-alone track and one of my favourites to boot.
A fearsome warning is sprawled all over ‘Unpaid Tolls’. The listener will not be able to escape the message given, unpaid tolls are coming from the second floor. This is a common theme of the album – to shape a feeling throughout a song (or many). Somehow, the lyrics stay vague but precise throughout and make for a deep connection to the music.
‘Took A Loan’ brings the album back to its earthy soul. A sense of confusion but omnipotence casts a lovingly grey cloud to hover. The fading of the drums wraps the song perfectly, leaving a sense of dread that ‘Prime’ then deals with.
The epitome of the album follows in ‘Prime’. Prime brings together everything the band emits throughout and puts it on show. The instruments, lyrics and vocals all mesh perfectly to create a hit. Prime is undoubtedly the track to come back to.
‘Endless delay’, ‘Mold’ and ‘Crippling faith, tackle the tough task of following the standout track as a team and lining up a tough triplet of triumph. All 3 offer something different but the same at once with a display of guts, mystery and progression on show. The song’s crescendo and peak when suddenly ‘Lazyeye’ pops up and makes its statement for a brief but dominating one minute and forty-six seconds.
The soft acoustic guitar at the beginning of ‘Hauling Back’ is so refreshing, but blended with the doom-laden electric thuds, it sets a beautifully uneasy scene. The chorus is one of the more melodic ones and sticks the listener like a fly in a spiderweb. The intermittent breaks and relief from the darkness ensue, and another build-up into the last chorus takes the breath away. ‘Hauling back’ reigns as a powerful anthem.
The final ten minutes of a colossal album are gracefully begun by another soft acoustic session, with ‘Tourist Trap’ also utilising a soft piano break. Post this, a magical journey takes place. One that truly epitomises the transcendence state music can allow you to be in, trashing in and out of consciousness like the best water rafting expedition ever. ‘Excess’ concludes the album as it started with a sense of the unknown and a musical, lyrical showdown.
Real craftsmanship is apparent with the utilisation of many different genre-specific techniques. The album feels like a beautiful love child of early black sabbath and Pearl Jam, whilst standing on its own as a completely independent body of work. The blending of thrashing guitar with melodic drums allows for the raw, piercing vocals to shine. Contrasts throughout in both the lyrics, utilisation of voice and instruments and the titles create a very perplexing, gorgeous album that will serve as a delight to fans.
‘A stand-alone work of art encapsulating all music has to offer, whilst not being limited to any direction. Delightful.’
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Words by Thomas Pressley Hitchcock
