Music Review: Dead When I Found Her – Rag Doll Blues

Dead When I Found Her – Rag Doll Blues
Released: October 9th, 2012
Label: Artoffact Records

Over the years, since it’s beginnings in the ’80s and ’90s, Electro-Industrial music has made some major shifts in sound. Bands like Skinny Puppy, Ministry, and Front Line Assembly who helped start up the genre have become heavier over the years. They’ve ditched the dominate use of the synth “sound” in favor of more guitars and heavier drums. Back in the ’80s though they were all about the dominate use of keyboards, synthesizers, sampling and very little guitar use. Even though Dead When I Found Her is a modern band, the sound they make is firmly planted in that late ’80s, early ’90s synth driven Industrial sound. And it rocks.

Pulling a move from the Trent Reznor early days (Pretty Hate Machine), Dead When I Found Her is a one man act from Portland, Oregon. Michael Holloway is the brains in charge of the band. After listening to “Rag Doll Blues” you can tell he truly “gets” and appreciates that “old-school” Industrial sound. The entire album of “Rag Doll Blues” is chocked full of synthesizers, creepy samples, catchy beats and haunting vocals.

The track “No More Nightmares” starts off slow with creepy samples and a slow build with synths, leading into a heavy fast paced beat. The vocals are melodic and haunting, nestled in the mix with an eery whisper like quality to them. Which is the signature vocal treatment on the album. The track “Mirrors” slows things down, relying a lot on sampling mixed with a sluggish melody and synth sounds. Whereas “New Age of Reason” adds more bounce to the beat and melodies, coming off a little more as an EBM track. The great thing about “Rag Doll Blues” is there is not a single bad track on the album.

Dead When I Found Her “Rag Doll Blues” is very much what I would consider an “old-school” Industrial album. It’s very obvious the influence Skinny Puppy had too. This is not a bad thing since Holloway creates the Industrial sound so well. You can tell he has an honest interest and love for it. If you appreciate that Industrial sound of the ’80s and dig bands like Haujobb or Skinny Puppy, pick up a copy of “Rag Doll Blues”.

Buy the album:

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