"We are a Swedish rock band. We shall rock you with our rock."
Um, OK...so proclaims Dead Lord on their Facebook page. Can't get any simpler than that, right?
Formed in 2012, this quartet have just released their new album for Century Media, titled Heads Held High, a fairly old school sounding hard rock/metal affair that any fan of AC/DC, Thin Lizzy, Black Sabbath, and Iron Maiden should get some enjoyment out of. The capable twin guitar work of Hakim Krim & Olle Hendenstrom is one of the main selling points here on Heads Held High, as they fire off blistering leads ala Lizzy/Maiden/Wishbone Ash on cuts like "Ruins", "No Regrets", and "Strained Fools". "When History Repeats Itself" comes as close to the classic Thin Lizzy sound as possible, a catchy tune with beefy hard rock riffs and sizzling dual harmony leads, while the uptempo title track packs the punch of early AC/DC with its potent rhythms and hard driving riffs. Vocally, Krim has a pleasant voice, but he's really high in the mix here, and can be overpowering at times. Plus, he doesn't change up his delivery much, and his vocals can get a tad monotonous as you make your way through the album.
For the most part, Heads Held High is a fun slab of vintage hard rock & metal with lots of impressive guitar work and catchy songs. It should come as no surprise that Dead Lord hail from Sweden after all, a country that is just churning out so many solid bands dipping into classic sounds. Nice job.
Track Listing
- Farewell(3:36)
- Ruins(5:48)
- Mindless(4:57)
- No Regrets(4:22)
- Cold Hearted Madness(5:02)
- Strained Fools(3:58)
- When History Repeats Itself(3:30)
- The Bold Move(6:35)
- Don't Give A Damn(4:06)
- With Heads Held High(5:08)
- Burnin' For You(4:27)
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