Italian language never ever got me hard. English with huge Italian accent makes me vomit. Therefore this, Brain Dead's debut full length album 'In the Deep of Vortex', is nigh on impossible for me to listen to. The vocalist is trying his best to sound rabid, and manages to do it every now and then, but he can't pronounce a fuck! And the lyrics man... "My eyes watch in the rain to falling down in this shame." What?!?!?! This is too funny, but still I ain't laughing. The vocalist's barking and screams are okay enough, but laughing is just stupid. Maybe he is laughing at the lyrics? Anyone seen that legendary Thor VHS 'Live from London' (1984) and that green-dressed guy Loki on it? Yeah, that's how the laughing here sounds like.
The musical bit is better. I believe that these four guys love Bay Area thrash metal. They slam it in the Bay Area vein all the way through the album. Not a single surprise heard on this one... No need to mention, that probably every single riff is recycled. Brain Dead can still write some songs that don't leak too badly, but that is not the case with all these 10 songs (the opener is an annoying radio intro). 7 out of 10 songs are recycled from the band's two demos. The album sounds bonafide thrash metal, without any kind of modern studio trickery, so points for that. As well as for the good and punishing enough performances from the players. The grinning bastard on the cover is almost as annoying as the vocals...
I just can't shut my ears from the ultra-annoying vocals!!! And this fact totally bring down every positive factor about this album. I've heard shittier thrash metal, musicwise, but never this annoying vocals. And believe me, that I've heard some shitty, accented vocals in my lifetime.
Rating: 4 (out of 10) ratings explained
Reviewed by Lane
04/19/2009 18:51