24OurMusic Magazine November 2014 | Page 19

Writer: Brandon M. Hollywood Undead Ingites The Zombie Party The legendary Hollywood Undead returns with “Day Of The Dead,” an anthemic industrial banger that features the band’s signature melancholic vocals, guitar wailing, and zombie-movie themes. This single is the marker of a band that is just doing what they do best, no curve balls or magic tricks pulled out of a hat; just the same pure, raw, and visceral energy that the group has dished out for years. The masked group of rap-rockers returns with the usual showy flair of their previous tracks, one that seems to channel a certain gruff mixed with cinematic edginess. There is indeed that element of horror laced in the sounds, one that manifests perfectly in a song that aptly shares its title with George A. Romero’s classic flick (and even channels the same energy that may be found in the remake of Romero’s Dawn of The Dead.) There’s a distinct end-of-the-world dread that churns all throughout this number, and I think that already wins the group top marks for being able to skillfully create this aura. The song itself clocks at four-minutes, although with its dark and hard energy it seems to go by at an appropriate and faster pace. Progressing melodramatically between acoustic guitar sequences and distorted electric sections, supplemented by the group’s trademark rap vocals and an anthemic chorus, “Day Of The Dead” is at its core a memorable rock song, never too embellished nor lacking at any moment. The guitars rip at just the right moments, and the angsty vocals that have so pervaded the band’s music take centre stage all throughout the single. The lyrics are as expected of Hollywood Undead, keeping true to the fantastical and raucous nature that has so prominently propelled their music for over a decade. “Day Of The Dead” it seems is only a glimpse into the zombie apocalypse that the rap rock band is about to unleash, and given their track record of how rambunctious and raw their music is, this is one release worth waiting for. 19 – 24OURMUSIC