THROUGH THE EYES OF THE DEAD – Skepsis

What good are lyrics when you can’t understand them? Within the genre of metal and hardcore, it’s an all too common problem these days: musically talented groups releasing well-played music that’s fast and furious but spoiling the sound with gut-wrenching vocals that sound like utter crap. This is the case of Through the Eyes of the Dead’s new album, Skepsis. The 10 tracks featured are brutal and hard-hitting but the vocals provided by Danny Rodriguez are a bit too much.

According to their Myspace page, Skepsis is a concept album : “The story is a first-person view through the main character who has a strong, skeptical view on humanity and reality.” Look, if you are going to make a concept album revolving around lyrics, maybe it would be wise to present those lyrics to the listener in way that it is comprehensible. I hate nothing more than having to sit down and go line-by-line, reading the lyrics as I listen to an album. I did enjoy the double-bass drumming of Mike Rame, and the guitar breakdowns and synchronized riffs are impressive but I can’t get with this inaudible vocal nonsense. Then again, I know that many of you out there dig this kind of music, so don’t listen to me…if I was an angry 15 year old kid who hated the world, I might like this…but I’m not. I’m just saying…

(Prosthetic Records, 11664 National Blvd. #413, Los Angeles, CA 90064)