Worth The Wait
Be prepared to feel like you've arrived at the party too late with Aussie's latest export, Dead Letter Circus. The Australians have managed to keep their home grown band something of a secret from the rest of the world with the quartet's debut EP blossoming into a first album that has bulldozed its way into the Australian rock world but which has taken a whole year to reach our shores. Was it worth the wait? With a sound that borrows hints of Muse, mixes it with a touch of Karnivool and even a touch of 30 Second To Mars' grandeur, you can be sure the wait was more than worth it.
Brandishing an impressive 12 tracks, "This Is The Warning" opens proceedings with 'Here We Divide', a smouldering number that erupts to display singer Kim Benzie's vocal range in all its glory as the five minute track veers through an almost prog-rock splendour of soaring vocals and driving riffs tethered to drum and bass beats that add a polished edge to the track with ease. But Dead Letter Circus isn't about prog-rock that warps the mind, going off on tangents that at times can be mind boggling. Instead "This Is The Warning" delivers tracks that push the boundaries of modern music whilst still retaining that alluring chorus/verse blueprint that makes for infectious rock. Anthem striving 'One Step' is all but jumping up and down waiting for a UK radio station to play it incessantly whilst the marching drum intro of 'The Space On The Wall' is a bundle of foot tapping, fist pumping infectiousness that demands to be played at full volume. Indeed there is nothing subtle or understated about Dead Letter Circus' debut offering. Everything is grand and striving for epicness and whilst for the majority of the album this works exceptionally well, sometimes less really is more and sadly on tracks such as 'This Is The Warning' and 'The Design', Dead Letters Circus loose some of the emotion amongst the grandness.
There is no denying that "This Is The Warning" is an exceptional debut album, one that should have reached these shores long before now and whilst at times it can seem a bit much to take in all at once, there is certainly something special about Dead Letter Circus that will undoubtedly make the UK sit up and take notice just like it did in Australia.