Dead Lucky - Sons of Lazarus

Western Cape punk bands are in short supply, restricted by a default elitist or naive mentality towards punk music. Although Dead Lucky themselves claim a dirty rock outfit, they do carry the ethos of punk, disjoined from its conventional attributes by incorporating catchy rock riffs and Lemmy-esque vocals.

Sons of Lazarus deliver a Gospel of authentic music, with accessible rock elements that grind to the bone. The album presents a variety of interesting licks and memorable lyrics, enabled by a tremendous effort on production. The twelve songs that span over 47 minutes affirm an LP worth the wait.

Kyle’s shouts/screams/highs and lows embedded with fair portions of elegance and fury makes him a fierce frontman. Jean’s jackhammer drum-blasts etch awesome grooves across the tunes. The guitar-front is consistent in delivering catchy riffs, the rhythm and lead complimenting each other. Sons of Lazarus and Sin City start with an “o my fuck it’s this song” bass intro, continuing with a varied and dominant bass range across the album.

The first song is a self-titled ‘fuck you’ type anthem. Following with a prophetic feel on the vocals, King of the Underworld resonates with evil through a brilliant chorus and a sweet and short solo that empowers Kyle’s demonic vocal capability. The single Prowler steers far from the punk-mark with catchy rock riffs. It is a radio-friendly song, even being 5 minutes long (*hint hint corporate cocksuckers). Fat bass lines walk the crafty drum work into a classic rock feel, leaning towards ‘rock’ rather than ‘punk rock’. 

Live Fast, Die Last slows the tempo, enabling a crass feel that adds variety to the album. Speeding off again in fast tempo, Our Prayer begins with a catchy guitar intro, followed by the drums drilling down and Kyle’s powerhouse vocals layered with style. The clean guitar intro to Favourite Kind of Woman soon spirals with rowdy riffs and wild snare-beats. Sin City continues the dirty feel that will make those of faint heart wash their hands. The crashing cymbals give a driving platform for the vocals.

With a swaying melody, Women of the Night illustrate a dirty and eager story that only good punk rock can tell – a win recipe for fun. End of the Day is an easy listen that contrasts the album with a very slow tune, expected from a veteran dirty-blues outfit.  Slow Dance with the Devil has a grungy feel; the slow tempo makes it a hypnotic song.

Immortals end the album, confirming fair accreditation of a ‘poes-cool’ LP. To my liking, 7 Sins would have been a nice bonus track, a raw golden oldie definitive of Dead Lucky. It is the song to which I usually lose my chill with pretentious, pious believers and am gladly thrown out of a venue, because FUCK YOU if you cannot hear the music.

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Photos accredited to Michael Ellis - Snapkamera