With The Dead - Love From With The Dead (Album Review)

Release date: September 22nd 2017. Label: Rise Above Records. Format: CD/DD/VInyl

From Love With The Dead – Tracklisting

1. Isolation

2. Egyptian Tomb

3. Reincarnation of Yesterday

4. Cocaine Phantoms

5. Watching the Ward Go By

6. Anemia

7. CV1

Members

Lee Dorrian - vocals

Tim Bagshaw - Guitar

Leo Smee - Bass

Alex Thomas – Drums

Review

Greetings all,

With The Dead came storming out of nowhere a couple of years back. A bit of a dream project/super group with Rise Above Records head honcho/Cathedral, Napalm Death vocalist Lee Dorrian teaming up with the original rhythm section of Electric Wizard (Bagshaw and Greening). Their debut self titled album was a heavy ass slab of doom metal. I understand that something happened and Greening was out on drums and a new band put together. Bagshaw now handles all of the guitars, while Cathedral bassist Leo Smee and Bolt Thrower drummer Alex Thomes were added. The change in line up has only intensified the group.

Love From With The Dead is an absolute monster of a record. It’s seven songs of full on death, darkness, and brutality clocks in at a massive 66 minutes. It is heavy from the first note to the final squawk of feedback.

The album starts with 7+ minutes of the pummelling riffage of Isolation. Which leads into the next monstrosity entitled Egyptian Tomb. These two tracks are dark, but are only the start of what is to come. Reincarnation of Yesterday starts with a big opening and delivers a black mantra like chant that I can only assume is working to bring the dead back among us. Cocaine Phantoms crushes your soul with an ominous guitar riff. Watching the Ward Goes By sounds like a 10+ minute tribute to one of the true kings of dark drums. The song opens with the first half having spoken word over a low bass and drum rumble before exploding into a head shatter riff and guttural screams. Anemia is an intense mix of eerie quietness and face melting heaviness. The record closes with the dark monolith that is CV1. Am unrelenting journey into the dark blackness that is intense and soul stirring. That vocals are raspy and tortured. The rhythm never lets you go and the guitar is heavy and full of feedback and dissonance.

Love From With The Dead casts a large, dark pall over the land. It is unrelenting and brutal. If you are seeking out sheer heaviness, this is it. By far, one of the darkest, heaviest, bleakest albums of the year. The blackest of ink used on the letter penned. If this is With The Dead’s love letter, I am utterly terrified of how their hate mail must read.

Words by Todd Stealey - Instagram @alltheghoststhathauntyou

Love From With The Dead will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl from Rise Above Records on September 22nd 2017.

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