Album review: DEAD LETTER CIRCUS – Aesthesis

Rodeostar/ SPV [Release date 22.04.16]

Australian alt-rockers Dead Letter Circus have now been together for 11 years and this is their third album. The guys have had some high profile support slots over the years with the likes of Muse and Linkin Park as well as appearing on the main stage at the Big Day Out festival.

The band have stated that the writing process involved in this album differed from the previous two releases in that the music was written first then the lyrics added. This allowed the band to experiment more in the studio and create a bigger, more expansive sound.

Melodic alt-rock tinged with prog is the result which washes over the listener in gentle waves. That’s not to say that the band don’t rock out on occasion but it is more in the U2 school of rock rather than the heavier end of the genre.

The U2 comparisons continue with the guitar sound which has the same multi layer technique favoured by The Edge and the album was mixed by Chris Lord-Alge who has worked with Bono and co. in the past. Songs like ‘In Plain Sight’ and ‘Yana’ are well crafted with good melodies and the quieter passages show off the vocal talents of Kim Benzie well.

The band have completed several sold out national tours in their homeland and with this record they have a good springboard from which to make the jump to the international stage. A few choice festival appearances or support slots should see them gain a deserved wider audience. ***1/2

Review by David Wilson

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Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024

ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)

Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)