Formed in Glasgow in March of this year, THE DEAD AGENDA straddle an interesting line between old-school British punk rock and 80s metal.
The metal influence is largely represented by lead guitarist Craig, who imbues the five tracks of the EP with shredding, pitch squeals and all manner of metal lead guitar. Standout tracks ‘Destiny’ and excellent EP closer ‘Take Me To The Hospital’ begin with 80s-esque, single picked clean guitar, but while the former steers into a spiky, descending chorus, the latter takes it’s time to really let the song breathe and pace itself. The fantastically gratuitous guitar solo towards the end of the song evokes such 80s institutions as Skid Row or even Guns ‘n’ Roses, ending the EP in grandly melodic manner. Some very promising material, this deserves a star for ‘Hospital’ alone.
ROGER HOLLAND