Ah ‘The Dead Pets‘. Name ring a bell? Maybe not. What if I was to tell you the lead singer was on ‘Faking It’ a few months back? Now it’s all coming back to you… That’s right, The Dead Pets lead singer Sweeney Todd was the punk who featured and successfully ‘faked’ his way to becoming an orchestral conductor. He did all this while still being lead singer of his punk band and he did it very well. After all the coverage the episode got, the band deserved a bit more of the limelight, and if they continue to churn out songs similar to those featured on this five track Demo, then they deserve all the success that comes their way.
Now unfortunately due to limited knowledge of the band and struggling to access their website, forgive any misdoings on this review. I do know there are a lot of them, they have a brass section, oh and they have two bassists?! And when they insert the brass into songs, it doesn’t scream out ska but it does add a smooth melodic edge to songs which shout out punk rock at you.
‘Revenge of da Idiots’ gets the album underway, in a slow fashion before building and exploding into a trumpet fueled frenzy. The gruff vocals of front man Sweeney Todd lead the way in a strong opener and a guitar solo is even thrown in for good measure at the end. The feature of trumpets certainly spices things up and doesn’t let things become sterile, unlike a lot of other bands who feature a brass section in predominantly punk rock orientated songs. ‘If It Sells, It Sells’ follows up with a classy bass line bringing the track to life before the lyrics kick in about a song for the tabloid press, and has a very anthemic feel about it. ‘Gin’ takes a darker tone before a bout of frenetic drumming shifts the song into 6th gear. ‘Never Never and ‘We’re coming back’ finish the this short offering off in typical fashion with the former another angry effort but the final track proving a real up lifter and would look the part at the end of any gig or album.
The Dead Pets manage to combine influences from many styles and put them into a mixing pot which comes out amazingly well. They have a raw punk edge, a comedic side and crowd pleasing anthems to go with it, which you can’t help but feel benefits there ear-splitting live show. The Dead Pets deserve more of your time and as long as they continue along the same lines they may go someway to being brought forth to the masses.
Jay