Album Review: We Sell The Dead - Black Sleep

I grew up in the late 80s, so every weekend I was watching reruns of The A-Team, no matter how many times I had already seen them. I must have heard Hannibal Smith say, "I love it when a plan comes together" a thousand times. It's true, and that quip is what comes to mind when I think about We Sell The Dead's first album. No, not because it's true of it, but because it was the complete opposite. The band formed around a multimedia gimmick and songs about Jack The Ripper, which I found to be in poor taste, poorly executed, and rather a mess. The visuals were amateurish, and the songs weren't a lot better. It was biting off way too much for a new band that hadn't even figured out who they were yet.

So for album number two, all of the pretense has been stripped away, and or the better. As the singles were released, each one made me do a double-take, asking if this was really the same band. It is, but they are a completely different beast this time, and it's all for the better. By going back to the basics, We Sell The Dead have taken giant steps forward.

For this record, the band has stripped back their sound to be much more of a classic rock band, leaving behind the gimmick of their debut. This is for the best, as it plays into their strengths. Apollo Papathanasio is one of the best singers in hard rock/metal, and doing anything that distracts from him delivering strong hooks and melodies makes no sense to me. For the first time since leaving Firewind, he finally has a vehicle that puts him in the best light. Many of the projects he's been associated with either pushed him to be someone he wasn't, or didn't have the songs needed to be a true showcase. These men, coming together, have found a creative well.

The record kicks off with "Caravan", where the band is at their heaviest, with hints of plodding doom and middle-eastern melody. It's interesting that the songs biggest moment isn't the hookiest, which plays with out expectations in an unusual way. That song sets the stage for the three songs that were previewed prior to the album's release, "Across The Water", "Black Sleep", and "Carved In Stone". Those songs are three shining examples of melodic hard rock, with great guitar solos and harmonies, a massive blend of guitars and organs, and Apollo delivering unforgettable melodies. It's when he gets huge, catchy melodies that the breathiness of his voice is best used. He can make the stickiest hook still sound heavy, just by virtue of his tone. "Carved In Stone", in particular, might end up being one of the best songs of the year. It's that good. Seriously.

When we get to "Hour Of The Wolf", the groove of the guitar riff is pure In Flames (to be expected, since Niclas Engelin has spent time as a member), which gives us a neat window into an alternate world. Plenty of people complain about In Flames these days, me among them (not because of the change, but the lack of quality on certain records), and that song in particular is what In Flames has been trying to be all these years. Hearing it in this context, it's bloody great.

This album doesn't have the same drama or cheese factor that the "Dracula: Swing Of Death" record did five years ago, but I get a similar feeling listening to it. This is still music written about death and darkness, but it's done with lush melody and a sense of panache. How else do you describe the guitar figure that opens "Nightmare And Dream" that has a bit of The Munsters theme to it? In a way, We Sell The Dead are mining the same thematic territory as Ghost, but they do it with less obvious pop overtures. They are still a hard rock band through and through, but the appeal is the same. And similarly good, to boot.

I think this record is a good lesson that sometimes less is more. We Sell The Dead tried too hard on their first record, and now that they are focused on just writing great songs, the results are so much better. They have quickly shifted from being a curiosity to being a heck of a band. "Black Sleep" is a great record that is the best record of the month, and will be a contender at the end of the year. Make sure you give it a listen. I don't think you'll regret it.