DEAD HEROES CLUB

Dead Heroes Club is a rare beast indeed, being an Irish progressive rock band. They seem to be a bit of an unknown quantity on ProgArchives despite the fact that their excellent sophomore album of last year, ''A Time Of Shadow'', was released by the top American label ProgRock Records to wide critical acclaim. The debut on the other hand was independently produced but I actually think it's the slightly stronger album, and it's certainly the logical place to start for those interested in the band.

Dead Heroes Club started out playing Genesis, Floyd and Yes covers, and although they are clearly inspired by the '70s prog giants, they also put me in mind of punk rockers Stiff Little Fingers. Like SLF, the subject matter of their songs is heavily influenced by their homeland's troubled history. The dark themes in the lyrics and the powerful nature of the music together make for a combination of real substance, like Guinness and Irish stew.

The opening song ''A Day In The Life of The World'' includes a reference to Wilfred Owen, the British poet tragically killed in action one week before the end of the First World War. If Owen is known for his realistic portrayal of the horrors of war, Dead Heroes Club should be hailed for their gritty descriptions of the ethno-political conflict of the so-called Troubles; as the band themselves say in their PA interview, ''a chaotic world of oppression, guns and tribalism will always feed the music''. Similarly, ''Sunrise On The Trenches'' concerns imperialism and the exploitation of ordinary soldiers during WW1 as mere cannon fodder. Their well-crafted songs are full of great melodies and riffs, but the lyrics are their real strong suit.

Outside of the Italian scene, Dead Heroes Club is probably my favourite modern band and I'm eagerly anticipating their third album which is due for release early next year. Check these guys out, they're good. Really.

DEAD HEROES CLUB is a band that got its start in Derry, Northern Ireland (UK) but seems to be considered an Irish band for the most part. The brainchild of Gerry McGerigal (guitars, vocals), Liam Campbell (vocals, guitars) and Mickey Gallagher (drums, percussion), the band has remained underground for its two decade existence and seems to have fallen silent in the last decade however in the early 2000s released three albums that many considered unique and an integral part of the modern Irish prog scene.

This self-titled debut release came out in 2004 and was self released but captured the spirit of the band that was primarily influenced by 1970s Genesis although Yes, Pink Floyd and a pantheon of others contributed as well. Despite that DEAD HEROES CLUB crafted its own distinct sound from the getgo and on this earliest of their releases offers an intimate prog setting that features nine tracks that add up to about 55 minutes of playing timer. Lead singer Liam Campbell who is the primarily force and songwriter of the band is a dead ringer for Peter Gabriel at timers with a strong vocal similarity.

The music on this debut consists of nine extreme catchy tracks as Campbell showcases his uncanny ability to craft haunting melodies and tight-knit rhythms that make a beeline to the soul as he narrates the historical turmoil and other subject matter relating to the history of the conflicts between Ireland and Northern Ireland. While considered neo-prog in progressive rock circles, the band at this stage was primarily acoustic with Carlie Coyle playing an acoustic bass and Gerry McGerigal playing both acoustic and electric guitar but the album's flow is more like an unplugged folky version of neo-prog as if Marillion in the Fish years decided to undertake one of those MTV unplugged sets.

The album also features Mickey Gallagher on drums and Chris Norby on keys and piano and like almost all neo-prog, DEAD HEROES CLUB offers lots of swirling synth atmospheres to accompany the melodic guitar grooves and mid-tempo processions that focus on the lyrics and Campbell's vocal contributions. The songs are all equally strong and despite being a progressive rock band reminds me more of some of the big music alternative rock acts of the 1980s in the same camp as early The Church, Midnight Oil, The Alarm, The Cult and others more in the sense of the tones and immediacy rather than the compositions themselves that often remind me of a stripped down Fish era Marillion due to the alternative rock guitar playing.

Overall DEAD HEROES CLUB delivered an engaging debut album filled with instantly lovable tracks that focus on the strong melodic touches and stripped down rock feel. The Genesis and Marillion influences are the most apparent especially in Campbell's vocal style. The band would go on to release two more albums with the 2009 album "A Time Of Shadow" gaining more attention this this early release. This is a very nice pleasant set of tracks performed quite well but this is by no means an epic neo-prog classic and doesn't quite move beyond that homey intimate feeling as if you were sitting in a cafe listening to these guys play live. The production is quite well done and the album's tones and timbres resonate quite nicely. This is primarily acoustically driven so if mellow indie neo-prog is what you're craving then this will scratch that itch. For me this is nice but not essential in any way.

3.5 stars rounded down