Back From The Dead
It’s a little unusual to discover a decent deluxe edition album released a mere six years after the original offering. Usually such antics are a mere money spinner, a quick way to drain the pennies out of the dedicated fans simply by flinging a couple of rough demo tracks on for good measure and hiking up the price. Thank the music gods then that Million Dead don’t fall into this category, preferring instead to actually put some effort into the deluxe edition of their debut ‘A Song To Ruin’, repackaging it in a hardcover book with lyrics, photos, extra tracks and a DVD so that their fans really are getting something special. But as if that’s not enough, with the original ‘A Song To Ruin’ ceasing to be pressed four years ago, the album has become something of a music holy grail, a lost treasure that sadly has passed many new music fans by, allowing this new deluxe edition the ideal opportunity to show what a fantastic band Million Dead were and hopefully saving them from the depths of the musical abyss.
The years may have passed since Million Dead first set up camp in our hearts and our ears but there is something wonderfully timeless about every track on ‘A Song To Ruin’ that will resonate with old and new fans alike. With his every growing popularity as a solo artist, Frank Turner’s lyrical genius is captured here in its fiery ferocity as his raw anger drives the hardcore backbone of the band. Coupled with vicious guitar riffs and battering beats, ‘A Song To Ruin’ thrashes and flays with an appealing punch of intelligence. From the chugging riffs of ‘I Am The Party’ to the raging lashes of ‘Charlie + The Propaganda Myth Machine’ harbouring a melodic underbelly that bleeds into the hyper charged thump of ‘Smiling At Strangers On Trains’ complete with an avalanche of percussion that ignites alongside Turner’s passion drenched vocals, ‘A Song To Ruin’ is brought back to life with battery ram dose of adrenaline that will not be ignored.
A tornado of brutal, lyrically genius, in-your-face punk that refused to sit quietly by whilst American bands invaded the British music market, Million Dead were an unyielding force that bulldozed their way onto the scene like a comet, sadly making their exit early but leaving in their wake a collection of music that is just as vital now as ever. Forget mourning the loss of Million Dead, now the shrine can be torn down as ‘A Song To Ruin’ brings the band back from the dead, ready to lay claim to your eardrums once again.