Review Summary: Dead Medicines: A 2000s Post-hardcore Opus for the ages
Dave Reviews – 'New Medicines'
Artist Name: Dead Poetic
Album Title: ‘New Medicines’
Year of Release: 2004
Genre: Post-hardcore
Location: USA
Preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M3XxTRn2rc
Take it back to 2004…was a great year, as we all witnessed the release of awesome films such as Shrek 2 & I, Robot; the unveiling of timeless videogames such as Fable and GTA: San Andreas; and, of course, the release of great albums such as this one.
Within this album, you can find a variety of goodies: a combination of clean riffing and distorted chord strumming in succession, the soothing vocals of what I would call an angel undoubtedly, and a message that will stick with you for a while.
Personally, I cannot get past how striking and naturally mystifying the singer’s voice is on this album. Sure, there are some signature core screams here and there. However, my main focus was on the cleans wholeheartedly. The way they blend in with the rest of the music and instrumentals still brings a tear to my eye this very day, even after listening to this release for well over a decade now!
Getting right into the tracklisting, there are eleven (11) songs to be found on here…and, to be completely honest, none of them disappoint really, in my opinion. The entire album clocks in at just slightly under 35 minutes, and every second of it can be enjoyable if you are a fan of this type of music.
My favourite tracks on the album are titled ‘New Medicines’ (aka the titular track), ‘Glass in the Trees’, and ‘Vanus Empty’.
‘New Medicines’ is a song that opens with some ambient riffing, with an effect on one of the guitars, I believe it is delay. All of a sudden, the rest of the band joins in about six seconds in, and the verse begins. Most of the song is clean vocals with octave chords in the background, but man does it all sound so good. The way the two guitar lines accompany each other blends in well with the bass line, as well. Finally, the lyrics of the song itself discuss the themes of relieving pain & heartbreak through these entities referred to as “new medicines”. They also refer to the theme of calling a place “home” and trying to cope with aforementioned pain and anxiety. The screams that come up near the end of the track are also a decent touch.
‘Glass in the Trees’ is another fave song off of the album that deals with a very touchy subject: the death of a friend. The message of the track refers to a real-life occurrence involving an automobile accident that took the life of a very close friend of the band. Hence the name. Especially, the high notes being played in the main hook of the song are very noteworthy because of their placement and the melody that they add altogether. The chorus brings in the feelings of regret that they still possess over the whole incident. The ending of the song is notably the best, since the clean vocals that sing about the friend’s funeral procession soon turn into less-coherent screams, which preach the same.
Finally, the track ‘Vanus Empty’ is one that I hold near and dear to myself since it still manages to bring me to tears. This song helped me get through a very tough time in my own life and its moral speaks of murder and possibly suicide by way of shooting one’s self. A very controversial topic. The structure of the song is very well chronicled, shifting tempo speeds and level of aggressiveness through the vocals and guitar riffs.
From the message found within the lyrics, one can infer that they are a Christian band—and rightfully so. However, their Christian being, while having a subtle impact on the music itself, is not, by any means, shoved down the listener’s throats (or ears in this case), which I appreciate.
Basically, to top it all off, this album by the acclaimed band is one that none should miss out on. All fans of this genre should honour it with at least one fair listen—for the lyrics, the message, and the instrumentation that it brings to life. It is easily their best work in my personal perspective…and I’ve loved it ever since my close friend introduced me to it back in the mid-2000s. The only honest criticism I would give to this release is the overall lack of vocal variety, the only real thing it is lacking though, making it a very close score to being a perfect album in my eyes.
Favourite track: ‘Vanus Empty’
For fans of: Thursday, Underoath, Senses Fail, Christian metal/post-hardcore
