Well it’s a bloody good start for a strangely titled band – for me the sexy comes within those lungs of steel along with the melodic bounce that embraces the ears with such ferocious momentum. It is just a sheer joy to behold. The words ‘nu-metal’ and ‘core’ need not fill you with dread as it does some, for me it is like bathing in assess milk, I feel cleansed after listening to such powerful metal letting it wash over me in waves of sheer pleasure.
‘Mixed Messages’ is a really cheeky little number with crisp vocals and of course indeed those sexy screeches and low toned pulverising growls that are like a thousand daggers jabbing up and down your spine, but the pain is sheer unadulterated pleasure!
‘Say It Like You Mean It’ is a slow charged affair but none the less deep and profound with soft crisp vocal edge that sends out messages of a dream-like structure but still holds plenty of intensity and passionate vocals that carry an abundance of swagger and catchy rhythms.
‘Day One’ is incredible with its deep guttural growls and high pitched singing the two complement each other superbly! The riffs and bass hooks are sonically charged with emotional flair and brutally executed. The music and vocals are just sheer perfection – I could listen to this non-stop and never get sick of listening. ‘Somewhere Out There’ is a slower ambient amble and quite different to the previous four tracks that shows diversity and individualism.
I love the cover too, although the only message it sends out to me is far from mixed, it says come and listen and bask in its glory. It is always difficult moving on from an EP or album when you can engage with it totally and want to savour it to the full. Sadly, there is probably no way anyone in the UK will get to experience this band live, which is a damn shame but Toronto isn’t exactly a bus ride away, so unless they grace us with a tour we will just have to sit tight with our finger on the repeat button and hope that we can partake in some live Adrian Pain & the Dead Sexy – the name hardly sums up what they are really about but as the music is so good – who cares? But next time make it a full-length album Please Guys!
Adrian Pain & the Dead Sexy Mixed Messages is out via All Core Records on 10th February 2017.
