The Rocket Dolls - 'DeadHead' Album Review

Tracklist:

1. None Of This Is Right

2. She's Starting Something Now

3. DeadHead

4. She Said

5. The Last Thing On My Mind

6. Stop The Dead Men Crying

7. Drowning

8. The Desperate

9. Strain

10. Rusty Bones

11. Trigger

The Rocket Dolls, a Heavy Rock Trio from Brighton, release their new album DeadHead on Friday 6th April. DeadHead is the follow up to 2014 debut album Eyes and was recorded at London’s British Grove Studios (David Gilmour, Mark Knopfler) and produced and mixed by Mark Roberts. The album delves into some dark subject matter most of which is from personal experience.

Nikki Smash (lead vocals and guitarist) said about the album: “I wrote most of this record in a short space of time. It just started pouring out of me, the riffs, lyrics and melodies moulding the vibe of each song, and creating a monster of a dark, fighting, battle laden, anthemic Rock album. It’s both a very personal album, but also a reflection on modern day society. We’re all incredibly proud of ‘DeadHead’, it’s our strongest collection of music to date and we can’t wait to share it with our friends.”

The album starts with a riff laden pulsating track called 'None Of This Is Right'. The track is about fighting addiction to prescription drugs. 'There's a bomb in my head and when I see red all I do is fight'. This is an anthemic start to the album that grabs your attention and draws you in. Addiction is further explored in the title track of the album. 'DeadHead is a stand out track, mixing several genres of Rock, the vocal reminded me in a way of Velvet Revolver 'Dilated eyes roll around my skull' is an example of the descriptive lyrics. 'Rusty Bones' is another anthemic track on the album, about the side affects of this type of addiction

Revenge is the topic of 'She’s Starting Something Now' which is a more Grungy track, dealing with sweetness of revenge. 'Trigger' carries on from 'She's Starting Something Now', it is a slow dark angry song. At its finale, and the finale of the album there seems to be a rush where the sweetness of revenge is tasted!

'She Said' is about anxiety and doubting what is in front of you. Thinking that you will lose those around you that you care for. 'Stop The Deadmen Crying' links up with this. The metaphoric journey is a lonely one. The despair is palpable in both the lyric and the musical arrangement, which is laden with deep bass and low guitar chords. The darkest track by far is the gentle and melodic 'Drowning'. 'As the water fills your lungs, it feeds you to your death. I'm drinking you down and down and down!', is about as dark a lyric as you are likely to hear. The band give a very dramatic soundtrack to Nikki's vocal.

There are two songs on the album that give some respite from the overall theme. 'The Desperate' is a covertly political song written when the political upheaval around the world was going on. It is musically different from the other tracks, being very fast paced and with more backing vocals. Then their is the jewel in the crown for this album for me, 'The Last Thing On My Mind'. In amongst the dark is a melodic light number with a gentle vocal and cascading notes supporting the track. This is song to get lost in.

The Rocket Dolls join a collective of British Bands that are proving that far from, in decline, Rock is alive and kicking, and more importantly, relevant. Modern Rock can deal with difficult subjects that the audience can identify within our society. Thought provoking lyrics, killer riffs, pulsating drums and complex melodies, make this an album well worth checking out.