Dead Child

Attack | Quarterstick/Touch and Go
By MATT ASHARE  |  April 29, 2008
3.0 3.0 Stars
Dead_Child_inside
From the first monster-metal riff and warlock scream, it’s pleasantly obvious where Dead Child are headed on their full-length debut. This is what used to be called the “new wave” of British metal back when Judas Priest and Iron Maiden first took what Black Sabbath had started to its logical conclusion. The only real surprise here is the presence of David Pajo, guitarist of legendary and formative Louisville foursome Slint, and a guy who in recent years has tended more toward cerebral post-rock both with Tortoise and on his own (as Papa M, Aerial M, and just plain Pajo). Hard to say how much irony is at work here: nobody names a song “Never Bet the Devil Your Head” without at least a smirk. But this sort of metal has always had an element of humor to it, even when, as in this case, singer Dahm is channeling Ozzy with lines like “Life is a hideous thing” in the epic “Eye to the Brain,” or playing the role of the merciless warlord in “Rattlesnake Chalice.” With a CV that includes Stereolab, Royal Trux, and Will Oldham’s various Palace incarnations, not to mention backing Billy Corgan in the short-lived Zwan, it sometimes seems that Pajo has done it all. Dead Child remind us that he hasn’t quite gotten there yet.
Related: Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, Mediæval metalheads, Low notes, More more >
  Topics: CD Reviews , Entertainment, Music, Pop and Rock Music,  More more >
| More

Most Popular
Blogs
 More: Phlog  |  Music  |  Film  |  Books  |  Politics  |  Media  |  Election '08  |  Free Speech  |  All Blogs
ARTICLES BY MATT ASHARE
Share this entry with Delicious
  •   SEND IN THE CLOWNS  |  July 02, 2009
    The New York Post got to resurrect its priceless "Wacko Jacko" headline. Barbara Walters scored Super Bowl-level ratings without having to lift a pretty little finger. And Michael Jackson, well, no matter how you slice it, he got screwed royally.
  •   ARRESTING DEVELOPMENTS  |  September 16, 2008
    Lack of talent, charisma, and/or personality can prevent a good band from achieving greatness — but too much of a good thing can also be a problem.
  •   ROCK THERAPIES  |  July 22, 2008
    A little over four years ago, the Boston music scene lost one of its cuter couples when singer-songwriter Blake Hazard and guitarist/producer John Dragonetti left town for LA.
  •   FORTUNATE ONE  |  July 07, 2008
    It was no surprise to find Chris Brokaw in Hawaii last week, just two Saturdays before he’s due back in Cambridge to pull a double shift upstairs at the Middle East.
  •   BOSTON MUSIC NEWS: JULY 11, 2008  |  July 08, 2008
    The New Year, a band the Kadanes started with Chris Brokaw on drums a decade ago, are still a going concern.

 See all articles by: MATT ASHARE

LATEST SLIDESHOWS

All Slideshows