Dead Letter Circus - This Is The Warning

 I've long awaited the full length debut from these alternative rock fellows from Brisbane and my expectations were high after the last two EPs. A lighter release than their previous efforts, it is the type of album that grows on you the more you listen to it. Despite having an indifference to the Australian progressive rock scene, I always had a soft spot for Dead Letter Circus. This album showcases intricate melodies, electronic flourishes and soaring vocals with heavy use of the delay pedal from the sounds of it. The band claimed they have spent over 18 months recording this album with the attempt of making it a non skip album, finely tuning each song and working with producer Forrester Savell (also producing albums by the likes of Karnivool, Mammal and The Butterfly Effect) to help out in achieving this.

Kicking off with "Here We Divide", it showcases the impressive vocal range of Kim Benzies. I admire his ability to hit every note live just as he does on record. "Big" is among the highlights of the album, it shows a maturity in their sound, applying progressive techniques while still retaining the classic structure of Dead Letter Circus. 'The Space Of The Wall" is another rad track, sounding a bit like a march song at the start with catchy vocals as it progresses. It also had a sweet video clip. I then come across two old tracks, "Reaction" and "Next In Line". Although they are quite good songs, it's a bit of a cop out after claiming to spend so much time perfecting this record. "The Drum" builds up really well, taking the progressive approach to the full extent. Awesome drum beats towards the end make it particularly exciting. Definately one of my favourites on this record. "The Design" sounds different to the usual sound of the band. The mellow sound of this song is rather welcoming which is also accompanied by catchy lyrics. "This Is The Warning" ends the album with time signature changes and another showcase of the progressive elements taken on by the band. A perfect way to end the record.

Overall it is a good album, with strong points showing the development of the bands sound as well as weaker points with skippable tracks like "This Long Hour" and "The Cage". I personally prefer the older material but the flow of this album is still good. I feel at times the songs can seem a bit similar with the occasional stand out moments. It needed more songs like "The Drum". I'm not too knowledgable when it comes to prog rock but I think if they keep developing this sound then they can just get bigger and better from here. I definately recommend this to fans of Karnivool, Cog and The Butterfly Effect. 8/10

Best Songs: The Drum, Big, The Design, Reaction.