I swear I thought I was dreaming when it was announced that there’d be a new record by Death Index. I thought we’d only ever have their 2016 release and that would be it. Fans yearning for more and not getting it. 7 years later- it’s here. It’s been here for a few weeks but my ability and want to write anything has kept passing me by. Zero interest, but I think I’ve got there now so I’m going to try tell you why the new record by Death Index is every level of perfect, but maybe you already know why.
Death Index are Carson Cox and Marco Rapisarda. Both have been/are in bands that are brilliant in their own way, and different to what Death Index is. Death Index is a different level to anything you’ll have heard before. Civilized By A Lie isn’t as brutal as their debut but that hardcore Punk energy is definitely there. They’ve not made a soft record- far from it. They’ve made the perfect follow up to their debut and yes, 7 years is a long time to wait but it is totally worth it.
The lyrics are Carson’s work and, in the lyrics, you can hear the frustrations of life in his part of the world in America. All kinds of discrimination have been flooding news outlets all over the world and it’s so exhausting reading about it, and when you hear it painted the way Carson does- you know you’re not alone in how frustrated you are.
No Cure For Madness echoes how messed up everything is and that maybe it won’t get better- just yet. Maybe it will. I don’t know. None of us do. Then it slips into Spirit. A song that sounds like a machine gun going off with words ringing out the awfulness of the world. Of course, there is good in the world, but we can’t create an illusion that everything is great can we. Music is an escape but it’s also home. This is the kind of record that you know needs to be witnessed live. To hear the loudness, to feel the chaos and to soak up every word on this record in a live setting would just be out of this world. The talent Carson and Marco have separately and together means that Death Index is always going to be a work of genius, regardless.
Another Hero initially feels like a motorbike picking up speed heading deep into the unknown. Into a world that may be better than what we currently have. It goes full throttle this song, and it touches on the despair of killing and the ending of a life. You can hear the despair in Carson’s voice, and the whole record just evokes so much in you when you listen to it. At times you feel you are listening to a band that have taken notes from Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails and New Order but then it shifts to a real hardcore political sound which is unique to them. Some may dance to these songs all carefree but some may just be in awe of the content and find something to really connect with. Or both. There’s no right or wrong.
It’s a heavy record, and some may feel uncomfortable listening to it but every ounce of this record is honest and open. For some, that’s uncomfortable but Marco and Carson have created a thing of beauty here, and it’s the kind of record you stick on when all feels a bit too much and you need something to sit down with and reassure you. It’s in songs like Shadows At Dawn (personal favourite) and it’s in songs like Ego-Dance.
11 songs in half an hour. 11 songs to fill a void. 11 songs to feel a connection with. 11 songs that fully justify why Death Index are brilliant. If we have to wait another 7 years for a record that is at this level again, then so be it. Worth the wait.
Play it loud. Play it alone. Play it through headphones. Play it whilst you take a walk. Play it to anyone who will listen. Play it loud.
Beat In My Bones. 