What is going on with the USA?
Obama was elected to the White House by a majority, and hope arose that everything would finally head in the right direction. By now, one can say that the hope was in vain. Guantanamo is still open. Americans are still in Afghanistan and getting almost everything wrong. I don't even want to talk about energy and environmental policy. A people that sues the state because it does not want mandatory health insurance for all is, in my opinion, somewhat inhumane, to put it mildly.
There are certainly a thousand more examples that show what is wrong with this country, and its powerful, influential citizens either do not see it or do not want to see it.
So it is not surprising that there are a number of bands that do not bury their heads in the sand but act according to the motto "If so many have to remain silent, we will scream even louder." Anti Flag has shown the way, and DEATH BY STEREO follows suit.
The album title already indicates where the journey will lead. The black sheep of the American dream. Who is that? The band? The politicians? The terrorists?
Even the first song digs deep into the wound and, by the way, starts extremely unconventionally with a longer guitar solo of the beautiful metal kind.
The other songs are all extremely combative in terms of lyrics, as the following lines say:
…Fuck the pain, it’s all designed to crush the will ( Growing Numb )
…No, I can’t live trapped inside myself ( Depression Expression )
It clearly takes a stand on the world in general and on the deeply personal feelings of freedom and justice in particular. Breaking out, living one’s own life as one chooses, not being led, and not being influenced by false idols. Back to life, if you will.
DEATH BY STEREO are lyrically something like the abstract form of Anti Flag.
Musically, however, the band is much more subculture than Anti Flag.
The songs are all characterized by a mixture of old-school hardcore, punk rock, and occasional metal and screamo attacks. That is subculture! That is the energy that gives strength and courage. In some songs, you can almost feel the stage divers sticking to the ceiling.
As if that weren’t enough to be praised, the band has also brought back its founding member Paul Miner. Paul has produced bands like H20 and Terror in recent years. In DEATH BY STEREO, the bass virtuoso not only played the four-string but was also involved as a co-producer, co-composer, mixer, and mastering engineer. You can hear that in every single song. The music is back to the roots, with the energy and power that hardcore possesses. The mixing is perfect. The recording is professional but not polished, just as it should be.
With this album, DEATH BY STEREO presents one of their most political, personal, and powerful albums.
