Red Dead Roadkill
Sweet Songs of Anguish

The debut album by Red Dead Roadkill could probably also be seen as a farewell in a way. The duo who did this album seemed to have been something of a one-off Bob Lee has since the album was recorded put together a band with a new singer and some other members. They will apparently be out playing live soon, but until they are playing live you could be listening to this album even though it isn’t really the same band as the one you will see on stage. And one thing I notice about this album is the distinctive artwork, I wouldn’t call it great though but it probably works.

The music is female fronted hardrock with very strong vocals and good variation of songs with some poppier stuff and some more into the metalcore ranges of music. The energy and passion is very strong in the album, and the female vocals are the strongest thing about it. There are some male vocals as well that adds a bit of depth to the songs it is featured, though the singers themselves aren’t really too impressive. It is also an album with a fairly fresh sound, it is built on familiar inspirations but put together in a way that makes it feels fresh, yet also familiar. And with a dozen tracks it also has a playing time that is sensible enough – it is really a quality production.

Sweet Songs of Anguish is certainly an album worth checking out, the songs are strong all the way through and I think that Somewhere, Mr. Fate is the best one but the opening track Unlesh the Beast along with the ending Under Water are also noticeable tracks. It is a bit of a standout album in many ways, and if you are a fan of the female fronted hardrock/metal, you should really have a look at this album as it is really good. But I don’t think that anyone getting this album will be disappointed as it has many things to like no matter what your musical preference is.

There are no weaknesses on this album, it is just great and the mail clouding in the bright skies for it is probably the continuation for Red Dead Roadkill. Will they be as good when they put together the next album; is the new vocalist as good as the one singing on this album? And will the band structure hamper or benefit the song writing for the band? Perhaps this is a one off, but of course change isn’t always bad and the future will tell if Red Dead Roadkill will be as exciting the next time they put out an album. But until that theoretical sequel it works just fine to listen to Sweet Songs of Anguish over and over as it is a really good album.

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