The Dead Company - Fighting Back Ft Larry Ludwick

Hear The Track Here

It seems only fitting that out of the last few tracks from Soundclick this year, at least one of them should feature one of the Critics Corner alumni from 2009, albeit in a collaboration. For most people, neither the Dead Company or indeed Larry Ludwick (the said alumni), should need introduction. I met the Dead Company many years ago and their soundscapes and poetry have enlivened my life through those years. The Dead Company may be one of the darkest bands I have ever met, and yet their work (mostly electronica but they have been known to dabble elsewhere) is strangely uplifting. It's that combination that has always fascinated me as a listener and although I had fears about Larry Ludwick replacing original vocalist Sean Boyle, the tracks soon dispelled that fear.

Jon Bushaway is probably one of the most verbose musicians I have run across. Why say in three minutes something you can stretch out to thirteen and create mucho tension on the way? Such has always been the man's style and it says something that I have sat through some of his longest pieces without screaming. Not an easy task when faced with the bone-chilling bleakness that permeates this track, an aural smell of the grave. Some of the really early Dead Company tracks had this same incredible atmosphere, a very scary experience indeed and not something to listen to lightly.

For sure the band are going to have problems because - for me anyway - this is a return to the band's original charnel house, and to say that it is hard to take is a massive understatement. As I say, it's long, incredibly depressing (it appears to be a song about losing a child) and not something to lull you into a peaceful, restive state. Probably not for the bulk of humanity then. For a long time TDC fan however, this is a welcome return to their original terrifying state, complete with doom laden vocals courtesy of Larry. Massive kudos for the amount of detail going on here, slabs of sound jostling for your attention at every turning. An excellent job as always.

Highly Recommended dark experimental.