Theory Of A Deadman

As a fan of North American hard rock music, discovering new bands and new music can be something of a challenge for us here in the UK. MTV is not as helpful as it might be (if you're over 21 that is), the radio is not going to help either. Thankfully, armed with a satellite dish and plenty of alternative and more rock-friendly music channels, I was fortunate to happen upon Theory of a Deadman's video for 'Nothing Could Come Between Us'. I bought the album the next day and have been delighted that I did ever since.

You may have heard Theory of a Deadman's music without even knowing it. The first track on the album, 'Invisible Man', was on the Spider-Man soundtrack. As well as being on the B-Side to the single that accompanied the movie, if memory serves, it was also the song that played over the end credits. Regardless, Theory of a Deadman's self-titled debut album is a really solid offering from a band with a great deal of potential. There are many detractors and critics who… more »

As a fan of North American hard rock music, discovering new bands and new music can be something of a challenge for us here in the UK. MTV is not as helpful as it might be (if you're over 21 that is), the radio is not going to help either. Thankfully, armed with a satellite dish and plenty of alternative and more rock-friendly music channels, I was fortunate to happen upon Theory of a Deadman's video for 'Nothing Could Come Between Us'. I bought the album the next day and have been delighted that I did ever since.

You may have heard Theory of a Deadman's music without even knowing it. The first track on the album, 'Invisible Man', was on the Spider-Man soundtrack. As well as being on the B-Side to the single that accompanied the movie, if memory serves, it was also the song that played over the end credits. Regardless, Theory of a Deadman's self-titled debut album is a really solid offering from a band with a great deal of potential. There are many detractors and critics who have written them off, saying that they sound like Nickelback. Just because Chad Kroeger (Nickelback's lead singer) signed the band to his label and co-wrote some of the songs does not mean that they are Nickelback clones. As someone who owns a Nickelback's first two albums, I can say that with some conviction.

My own personal favourite on this album is 'Nothing Could Come Between Us' which, while being a real hard-driven snarling number, has country/bluesy undertones which accent the song's main hooks. It may not be the most impressive song on the album - an accolade belonging to 'The Last Song' - but it's definitely the one I listen to the most. As I said though, 'The Last Song' is, in my opinion, the highlight of this album from both a song-writing and performance standpoint as the dynamics of the song shift and develop very well throughout and really showcase the band's musicianship as well as lead singer Tyler Connolly's vocal range.

Theory of a Deadman are a really promising band with some good material. The only real criticism I would offer here is that, as with a lot of new bands, their album doesn't deliver at a consistently high level throughout. 'Invisible Man', 'Nothing Could Come Between Us', 'The Last Song' and 'Say I'm Sorry' are the real highlights of this album but while 'Leg To Stand On' and 'What You Deserve' are solid, the other songs are rather average. Nevertheless, this remains a very enjoyable album but one which will probably leave you hoping for just a little more from their next album. To me, Theory of a Deadman certainly have shown enough with this outing that they have plenty of potential in them. Definitely worth checking out.