Written for the lovely 7bit people: http://www.7bitarcade.com/music/article/album-review-death-remains-stand-fight-believe/
Produced by ex-Sikth member Justin Hill, the debut album from London’s Death Remains is full of anger combined with positive energy, having stemmed from the band After Death losing two of their former members who tragically drowned whilst touring in Brazil.
Rather than call it a day the After Death duo of frontman Barry O’Connor and guitarist Marc Kezia Yacas decided to recruit new members and continue in the same vein as the previous incarnation of the band had unexpectedly come to an abrupt end, with Stand.Fight.Believe being the veracious outcome.
Opening track ‘Work Sleep Repeat’ is an all too familiar scenario for many of us, although throw in the odd metal riff and it all seems a bit more worthwhile as Death Remains drum up some double bass pedal action before blasting into ‘Martyr’s Dream’ at the same speed.
The two tracks certainly set the scene for the album, likely to appeal to both metal and hard core lovers as the vocals are screamed over the top of a heavy backline but with enough variety to keep the listener interested.
The album isn’t for the faint hearted, as it’s loud and heavy even during the slower title track in Stand.Fight.Believe as the three words are repeated over and over from the bottom of O’Connors vocal chords.
The odd sample thrown into the mix helps ‘The Last Good Fight I’ll Ever Know’ and ‘A Cold Farewell’ have more depth to the sound, whilst “Innocence” blends screamed vocals with the melodic backing voice and there’s still time for some great guitar work during ‘Proof of Life‘.
Ending with ‘Cincinnati Bowtie’ there’s a chorus of backing vocals as Death Remains prove themselves as a great metal band with a debut album that’s certain to get them noticed, whereby producer Justin Hill has managed to capture the bands live sound, adding to his portfolio that already includes the likes of Rise to Remain, Malefice and Bury Tomorrow.
