The creation of original sounding music must be quite a formidable task these days. With the thousands of bands and artists that have gutted the market, carving a niche outside of the ordinary is becoming more and more difficult. Thus, it should not come as a surprise that virtually every new Tooth & Nail band that has come along in recent days has borne some kind of striking resemblance to veteran (or even retired) label mates. Dead Poetic is certainly no different.
When I first put Four Wall Blackmail into my CD player, the music caught my attention very quickly. It was tight and hard and easy to get into. As the first song "Burgundy" progressed, Dead Poetic threw in some screams and I knew that this was to be another of those rock/emo/metal hybrids. This is definitely not a bad thing, however. With Four Wall Blackmail, Dead Poetic has established themselves as a band with talent worth listening to. The hang up that I find with the band is that I can find virtually the exact same kind of music on my beloved Embodyment CD The Narrow Scope of Things, and find it done in an even more appealing way. Living up to the level of Embodyment is a difficult task for any rookie band in my mind.
As the record progresses, the music tends to lean more toward the metal side of things than its other facets, though singing permeates virtually every song on the album. My favorite lyrical approach comes on the song "Ollie Otson" with the vocalist yelling to a relatively heavy song that I find myself wanting to listen to repeatedly. There are upsides and downsides to this album. Listeners of Embodyment, Zao, and possibly even Living Sacrifice, and The Juliana Theory, should enjoy Four Wall Blackmail. For those who don't like those bands or haven't heard of them, steer clear of Dead Poetic as well. This is a reasonably good album and shows some potential for the future. Perhaps next time Dead Poetic can blaze a path that Embodyment has not yet trod.
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Other coverage for this album
Decapolis August 2002Reviewed by Nate BaileyDead Poetic is releasing "Four Wall Blackmail," their debut with Solid State records. They formed in 1997 and are from Dayton, OH. Dead Poetic is a new addition to Solid State. Their sound is what I like to call "Sing-Song Hardcore." It's a growing sound that has been popularized by Thursday. While one might compare D.P. to Thursday, I have no problem promoting them as better. For one, the…Art for the Ears 2002Reviewed by Marco PovervestWhen I put on this CD it was like playing a new Embodyment CD, with a different singer. Musically the comparison is easily made as Dead Poetic seems to pour from the same sources. They also took the same producer and the two bands will be touring together soon. Yet Dead Poetic isn't a copycat band. The first track might easily have been written by Embodyment, the next couple of songs are showing…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Shelby FosterEvery band would like to imagine that they sport an entirely original sound, but know that (in reality) they peddle songs that are slightly modified composites of their influences. Nowhere is this more apparent than on Dead Poetic's debut, where the overall sound initially seems quite unique sensitive emo meets angst-driven metalcore but, when broken down, is a simple enmeshing of The Juliana…Similar sounding releases
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