Review: Dead Poetic

Dead Poetic
“New Medicines”
(Solid State Records)

Dead Poetic rock the house.  Employing the scream/sing dynamic like A Static Lullaby and Thrice, Dead Poetic tear the cover off their eleven-track sophomore effort, “New Medicines”.  While technically sharp and polished like Thrice, Dead Poetic are probably a tad higher on the metal-o-meter, as their guttural sound is more pronounced than Thrice’s decidedly hardcore stylings.

The more heshed-out elements aren’t even entirely necessary, however, as tracks like “The Dream Club Murders” are powerful enough in their soaring melancholy without backing screams of any sort.  To call “New Medicines” as heavy as “The Artist in the Ambulance” is a bit of a stretch, as Dead Poetic include several tracks that can best be described as poppy-screamo and they eschew the harder elements in favor of hook laden harmonies.

There is a not-so-subtle undercurrent of paranoia on the album, as many of society’s ills (and, to their credit, many of its triumphs) are the lyrical focus of the LP.  What’s truly remarkable is the band’s ability to juxtapose their sound to match Brandon’s viciously crafted vocals, giving much needed variety and keeping the entire effort on track.  This one will stay in your player for a while, you sexy beast you.