Richard HolmesDead Soul – The Sheltering Sky (Century Media)
Genre: Alternative /industrial
Dead Soul offer up a unique strain of darkness that’s virtually indefinable… and should attract acolytes from across the musical spectrum. Drawing on blues, bleak Americana, 90s industrialism, electronica, new wave and more, the duo of Niels Nielsen and Anders Landelius write songs which are tinged with sadness and regret, which paint pictures of cold, rainswept city streets or desolate, barren landscapes.
Landelius’s bluesy, stirring vocals are the star of the show, yet multi-instrumentalist Nielsen builds an incredible sonic framework around him: this is a partnership made in heaven (or hell, depending on your interpretation of Dead Soul’s bleakest moments).
If you’re a fan of Johnny Cash, Danzig, Nick Cave, even Trent Reznor, songs like The Final Day, Dirt Road and the towering, dramatic Shattered Dreams should resonate with you (and have you wondering why you haven’t heard of Dead Soul before).
Indeed, if the Swedes weren’t very well known outside their homeland in the past The Sheltering Sky should certainly put them on the map, as it’s a triumph from start to finish, a kind of post apocalyptic blues for an end-times western.
You’ll get the chance to see them live with Ghost soon – don’t miss it.
RUSHONROCK RATED: 8.5/10 Soul Power