The Heavy - The Glorious Dead
- Written by Alex Ward
I have always believed that remixing and using old songs or music from films would be great for rock. In this respect, The Heavy are the answers to my prayers. Their new album The Glorious Dead starts with a clip from the film Shebeast to set the scene. This is the third studio record for the group from a small hamlet outside of Bath.
Their first song ‘Can’t Play Dead’ has an AC/DC mixed with James Bond, which has a great guitar riff throughout. ‘Curse Me Good’ however, is a soft rock song which I can imagine singing with your mates down the pub on a Friday night, preferably with an acoustic guitar in tow. ‘What Makes A Good Man’, reminiscent of ‘Dani California’ by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers to some extent, is a song about pursuing your beliefs - it's a very dancey tune with gospel back up singing. However, this album isn’t just about melody after melody. The Heavy seem to be a band who appreciate and understand music. ‘The Big Bad Wolf’ could almost be a rap song; the bass is so strong and addictive.
Elsewhere, ‘Be Mine’ is a smooth song you could imagine Prince singing. Compare that to the next track ‘Same Ol’, and it's like Muse entered the room. Despite this variation, when I first heard The Heavy what got me hooked was their song ‘Sixteen’ with a sample of ‘I Put A Spell On You’ by Screaming Jay Hawkins. The mixture of old American blues and English rock is just out of this world and, on The Glorious Dead, ‘Lonesome Road’ has this vibe and is the best song of the record in my opinion. Overall, this record is something special. It’s not just about simple rock and roll - it’s an album for people who really appreciate and understand different forms of music.