Dead By April album review

It was the summer of 2008 in Hultsfred, Sweden at Lake Hulingen where the masses of music heads traveled from far and wide to assemble in the name of good music. It was the 22^nd annual Hultsfred festival at the Dansbane stage where many came to see one of the most buzzed about melodic death metal bands to ever garner so much hype within one year after it was conceived. Dead by April conquered the crowd with their angry growling vocals, shredding guitar ensembles, and triple-bass drum kicks.

Dead by April consists of 5 band members, Jimmie Strimmell who sings the clean melodic vocals and angry screams, Pontus Hjelm who plays guitar and sings supporting vocals, Johan Olsson who also plays guitar and supporting screams, Marcus Wesslén  who plays the bass guitar, and Alex Svenningsson on the drums. Dead by April started out as a studio project in 2007 but later grew into a live show thrill after posting songs to their Myspace page claiming one of the top spots on Myspace’s “unsigned band” chart which inspired a rapid spread of word of mouth about the band that ignited fan sites in Europe and Japan. Their touring successions allowed them to be recognized as the newcomer of the year at the Bandit Radio Awards and the new band of the year at the Swedish Metal Awards both in 2008.

The self titled “Dead by April” album released by Universal Music, showcases melodic death metal pop at its best in some instances, at the behest of producer Henrick Edenhed.  Smashes such as “Angel of Clarity” and “Losing You” create a compound for a head banging guarantor. On the Pop heavy “What I Can I Say” Jimmie sings about a failed romantic love asking his former companion of ways to heal and repair their previous bond. The guitar riffs and the multiple drum kicks on the breakdowns make the song a sure playback for listeners. “Promise Me” offers another radio friendly tune that showcases Jimmie’s and Pontus’ clean and growling vocal collaboration. On the intense “Stronger” Alex creates an entertaining ear full of animalistic drumming cadences. The guitar solos and heart-felt growls and screams add to the song’s electric energy. “Stronger” also presents a rich flavor of the band’s Swedish roots.

Although some songs fail the demand of full play, overall “Dead by April” is a very rich well produced album with songs that can stay on playlists and on demand at festivals around the world for years to come. Dead by April brings a new and heavy sound to the metalcore genre. The machine has just begun to rumble.

Review by: Jabari Oliver

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