Progressive rock was invented in the UK and it never went away- although it had to hide for a bit when punk and New Wave patrolled the streets. Musicianship comes first in this genre and London based experimentalists The Fierce And The Dead should be considered as one of the most interesting bands right now. They don't do concept albums - hell, it's all instrumental, but their latest album Spooky Action speaks volumes without using sci-fi or fairytale inspired lyrics.
Starting an album with a tune called Part 4 may raise some eyebrows among the newcomers, but it makes perfect sense as the next installment of a composition that was their first release in 2010, with subsequent episodes on their If It Carries On Like This We Are Moving To Morecambe and On VHS albums. Spooky Action is their hardest hitting effort to date, with upfront drums and slightly menacing bass taking on the two guitars.
But it's never a shouting match - these guys are actually listening to each other. Check out And The Bandit for a 101 on well balanced math mayhem or Entropy for a jazzy introduction into adventurous loops mixed with heavy metal guitar licks. The album is brought to a close with the ferocious Chief, on which the quartet sounds like a jam battle between King Crimson and The Jesus and Mary Chain.
The Fierce And The Dead:
Matt Stevens: guitars, pedals
Steve Cleaton: guitars, pedals
Kev Feazey: bass, guitars, synths
Stuart Marshall: drums, percussion
Spooky Action is released on Bad Elephant Music.
Tracks:- Part 4
- Ark
- Let's Start A Cult
- Pyramid Hat
- I Like It I'm Into It
- Intermission 3
- Spooky Action
- And The Bandit
- Entropy
- Part 5
- Chief
<
Live dates:- 11/21 London @ The Good Ship (NWFA night)
- 11/22 Leicester @ The Musician (Danfest)
- 01/31 Nottingham @ J.T.Soars (w/ Alright The Captain)
- 02/01 London @ The Shed (w/Alright The Captain)
HCTF review of On VHS.