Dead Man- Euphoria
(Crusher Records CRCD009)
From Aural Innovations #39 (May 2008)
The Örebro based Swedish retro rockers are back with a follow up to their
debut CD. The band continue the late 60’s west coast vibe but also throw
in a few more heavy (early Sabbath) riffs and get a bit more psychedelic at
times. 11 tracks in 50 minutes… The CD starts with the track Today. This
takes you back to the late 60’s and features some lap steel guitar and
a very laid back vibe and more psychedelic than the bands previous material
and a bit more jammy as well. High or Low has a bass beat a bit like the classic
“Mona” to start off the track, but it then changes but is still bluesy.
The singer reminds me a bit of Quicksilver Messenger Service in the way
he sings. The band beautifully combine acoustic and electric guitar on all the
tracks with some occasional organ or synthesizer. Footsteps might remind some
people a bit of Witchcraft. A very moody piece with some violin as well. I must
be Blind has a bit of a country feel to it with the pedal steel guitar but a
really happy spirit and again takes you straight back to New Riders of the Purple
Sage…. From a Window is a short 1 minute acoustic guitar track that leads
into Light Vast Corridors. This is a short piece that starts off quite psychedelic
with synths and a strange vibe, but then they come back to reality and then takes
off again. A totally different track with some strange panning and very tripped
out at the end. The Wheel is a great 9 minute piece that shows a lot of different
sides of the band and gives the band plenty of space to do their thing. After
a little over a minute of just spaced out winds the Witchcraft-early Sabbath-Pentagram
guitar riff floats in and the track slowly gets going. Some beautiful acoustic
guitar is going on in the background. A fantastic song! Rest in Peace is another
long track, nearly 9 minutes and really takes me back to 1968 or so with that
psychedelic 60’s vibe. In the middle of this track a guitar riff splits
open the earth and you go back to the very first Black Sabbath record. Cool
stuff. A Pinch of Salt is one of those happy summer music songs with everyone
dancing and some mandolin as well. The title track, Euphoria, will make Grateful Dead fans smile. The CD ends with July, a short track that just seems
it is getting going when it ends after a little over a minute…. What’s
the idea?? Anyway, this band keep getting better and better. Cool stuff…
You can visit the record label Web site at: http://www.crusherrecords.com
Visit the band web site at: http://www.myspace.com/deadmansweden
Reviewed by Scott Heller