Vancouver’s Dead Cells’ debut release, Demo 2018, is a raucous garage-rock offering with U.K. punk flare. The band’s lyrics are eerie and dark, death seems to be a consistent theme throughout the piece, and the album’s cover is beautifully obscure.
“Your ghosts will light the flame to your effigy”
- "Effigy," Dead Cells
The opening track “Effigy” thrusts you into a cold sweat with the thrashing of twangy guitars complimented by the haunting echo of the bands frontman. The audio-trend is consistent throughout with “Bell” and the particularly catchy “Return.” “Stave My Name,” “This Time,” and “Message Rouge” follow suit.
The vocal stretching of words is unique, as the frontman has a habit of elongating phrases and words in his signature, ghostly manner. The instrumentation is fast and unforgiving. Overall, Demo 2018 is an impressive debut with tracks catchy enough to bop your head and sing-along, yet strange enough to send a chill across your prefrontal cortex.