New York’s Dead Superstar reminds us, in case we’ve forgotten, what pulverizing yet melodic hard rock can accomplish in the right hands. The band’s new single “These Voices” hails from their upcoming EP release entitled Rid the Fear, set to drop in spring 2024, and sets the bar high for what we can expect from the collection. Produced by Seether’s Corey Lowery, the five-piece band boasts two killer guitarists Michael Bohm and Justin Golddat whose flamethrower riffs and piercing solos are worth the purchase price of “These Voices” alone. Band founder and lead singer Terence Keith’s blood-curdling yowl personifies the band’s burning heart and captivates the listener’s attention.
BANDCAMP: https://deadsuperstar1.bandcamp.com/track/these-voices
The single takes off at a breakneck pace and never relents. Dead Superstar mixes scintillating lead guitar over scorched earth riffing during the introduction before the band bears down for the first verse. Keith has a commanding presence as he delivers lyrics far above average for the genre that blends social commentary with personal observations. The melodic side of the band reveals itself with the first chorus as backing vocal harmonies play off Keith’s lead vocals with superb effect.
Lowery’s production places a three-part emphasis on Golddat and Bohm’s guitar work alongside Keith’s voice. He dresses the latter up with a bit of post-production atmospherics, but Keith has a razor for a voice capable of cutting through steel without any studio aid. He’s authoritative and confident at every turn. There’s an unconventional bride spiced up with brief spoken word interjections before the band launches into a surprising tempo shift. It gives way from the irrepressible full-flight that defines much of the cut into grinding riffage threatening to decapitate unsuspecting listeners.
The furious guitar soloing during the song’s second half emblazons an emphatic exclamation point on the performance. “These Voices” clocks in at a shade under four minutes long, a near-perfect running time for the performance, and leaves listeners wanting more. Dead Superstar is careful to never overreach though. “These Voices” comes off as a track where the band knew exactly what they wanted to say and wasted no motion stating their case for listeners.
This single is one of the fruits born from the band’s extensive woodshedding during the pandemic, and they seem as poised as they’ll likely ever be to make a meaningful play for global recognition. An EP seems like the first step in the right direction. New York doesn’t have quite the same reputation for producing blistering hard rock acts in a traditional vein as, let’s say, Los Angeles, but be thankful that Dead Superstar didn’t get that memo.
These guys are a superior outfit with skill and attitude to burn. Dead Superstar’s “These Voices” is an excellent introduction to their work and sets the table nicely for their aforementioned forthcoming EP Rid the Fear. If you appreciate four-to-the-floor hard rock that makes zero compromises, Dead Superstar should be right up your alley. They mean business like few others and forge their own path with equal parts intelligence, skill, and aggression.
Garth Thomas