Review Summary: If you’re not already a fan of Theory of a Deadman, once you hear Savages in Connolly’s own words “you’ll probably just delete it.”
It finally seems that after four albums of complaining about the opposite sex, Tyler Connolly has moved on to something bigger....well mostly. This time around on album number five Connolly and Co seem largely disgruntled by the state of the world itself. In fact they seem so disgruntled on Savages that they seem more than happy to drown or blow their own heads off to escape. With lyrical snipes at the opposite sex, sitting largely in the backseat for this one, Theory of a Deadman offers fans what is possibly their most interesting album to date.
For starters, I think I should clear up the fact that I don’t actually mind Theory of a Deadman. However, in saying this I do realise where they stand in the music industry and what they represent. Each consecutive album they release fails to fall anywhere near my top ten for that respective year and I have no doubt Savages will be the same. They are the kind of rock band that is easily digestible, doesn’t require much thought to process and hardly ever has any lasting value. This is due to mostly streamlined instruments that rarely push any boundaries and Connolly’s often cringe worthy lyrics. Yet, perhaps I am entertained by the idea that one day they will create a solid record and once I initially heard lead single ‘Drown’ off the new album, I thought that day may have come.
‘Drown’ is possibly one of the bands heaviest songs and is laced with some serious Alice In Chains-esque undercurrents. Heavy lingering guitar riffs and muddled vocal effects add to the darker than normal atmosphere for a Theory of a Deadman song. All the elements combine perfectly in ‘Drown’ for a solid album opener and a genuine catchy affair, however the problem yet again with Theory of a Deadman is when they take two steps forward, it’s often followed by three back. The heavy songs on the album like ‘Drown’, ‘Savages’, ‘Misery of Mankind’ and ‘Heavy’ are all pretty rollicking affairs that make the band sound upbeat and fresh. The band even finishes Savages with their best closing song to date with ‘The Sun Has Set On Me’, which begins with some ‘Youth of the Nation’ like children’s laughter and long lingering guitar strums accompanied by Connolly’s haunting vocals. All these heavy songs work wonders for the band and are miles above what they have churned out on the last few albums.
Yet, all these positives are held back by the bands softer alter ego and the over use of vocal effects. Nearly every track has some different effect, which doesn’t aid the albums consistency and just sounds like they are there for the sake of it. The slower tracks this time around just aren’t up to scratch and I don’t mind a cheesy ballad from time to time, but seriously the lyrics in ‘Angels’ could have been written by a fifth grader and are all sorts of generic. For instance the opening lines read “I’m in love with an angel, heaven forbid. Make me a believer, with the touch of her skin.” Groundbreaking stuff right? It’s such a shame, other tracks like ‘The One’ shows Connolly’s voice in its most natural form, only being backed up by piano and strings. A nice change from adding in their patented recycled ballad drum beat.
In the end Theory of a Deadman has again created a bag of liquorice allsorts. Something on Savages aims to please everyone, yet as a whole it fails and suffers from inconsistency. Savages is a better overall album then their previous two releases, but their self-titled debut is still hard to top, being the most consistent and whole body of work they have released to date. So unfortunately if you’re not already a fan of Theory of a Deadman, once you hear Savages in Connolly’s own words “you’ll probably just delete it.”
