Dead By April

It would be easy to focus on things like the MySpace hype that's followed Dead by April. Or the awards they've received as "newcomer of the year" before even releasing anything. Or the numerous shows and tours they've done during the not even two years they've existed - a live schedule that would have most bands watching with envy.

But, what strikes you most is the strength of the songs. The way they relate to metal that refuses to be locked in to standards and preconceptions of how hard rock "should" sound or be. A refusal to compromise - where the riffs have a weight that puts the heaviest bands around to shame, and where Jimmies angry, angst-driven growl pierces sharper than an industrial chain-saw. Where the melodies are larger, stronger and more beautiful than most music one hears today; a rainbow-wide spectre of expressions in one voice. The resulting music defies all rules; a stroke that touches deeper than most of the modern culture that gets shoved down your throat.