Melbourne 5-piece rockers DEAD CITY RUINS released their third album, NEVER SAY DIE, on 13th April and it’s come out an absolute treat. The band have followed up their 2011 debut MIDNIGHT KILLER & self-titled 2014 release, with 9 more riff-laden tracks, which not only sound great from the studio but, you feel, will transfer fantastically into a live set. But they have had to do it the hard way though after gruelling tours of Europe supporting the likes of Skid Row & Ugly Kid Joe.
Opening with “Devil Man”, the band set the tone for the next 45mins with grinding guitar riffs from Tommy ‘Tbone’ Cain & Sean Blanchard. Matthew Berg’s catchy bass intro makes sure “Bones” keeps the foot firmly to the floor with a great bouncing sound that will surely get the crowds moving when played live. On “Dirty Water” they show that writing on the road (this was written in Belgium whilst travelling around in their van ‘Blue Bastard’) gives them plenty of material to work with from life experiences. The band slow things down with “Rust & Ruins” and we get to hear a different side to vocalist Jake Wiffen, who up till now has hit some unnaturally high notes in the opening few tracks, with his powerful vocal range ever showcased. “The River Song” has a nice smoother feel to it, to show the variety the guys can produce. “We Are One” opens with drummer Nick Trajanovski carving out the beat before more catchy riffs kick in, and another track that you feel will be a crowd pleaser with catch chorus. “Destroyer” takes us back to an almost 70’s Sabbath sound and a track that Ozzy himself would be happy to put his voice to. “Raise Your Hands” eases us back to catch our breath with a slower tempo, but again that fantastic guitar work keeps us engrossed. “Lake of Fire” is another slower one and probably my favourite of the album which brings the album to a successful close and left me reaching out for the repeat button immediately.
Wiffen summed up their aims on the bands website – “We want to take this thing to the next level, and we will. We have a new label, a new booking agent and new management. Everything is in place, and we’re ready, although it’s taken us two hard years to make that happen. Our goal is to go from a pub band that is fantastic live, to a stadium band that is unstoppable.”
Dead City Ruins have not only invested hard work, time on the road and their own finances into this album but they also involved UK producer James Lewis (Arctic Monkeys, Sunset Sons) to help click the final piece of the jigsaw into place – and it’s worked. What you have here is a great sounding rock album that’s straight to the point and no frills attached. I, for one, hope the guys can make it to Perth for a few shows – if not then I guess I’ll be having a weekend in Melbourne sometime to catch them live.
