HARDWARES

COMMON DEAD is the baby of Chicago native Andrew Laurenson, who handles all instruments on his albums (gigs are sometimes a different story), as well as the vocals. But clearly his strong point is riffs: here on album three he delivers knockout riff after knockout riff, in a sort of earnest and unfocused fashion that is very thrash, actually very Canadian, bordering on something more melodic and Euro death-lite at times (then, at other times, I’m thinking BIOHAZARD, but I barely know why). But mainly I’m thinking ANNIHILATOR, SOULSCAR, those bands that should have been huge but instead get spoken of in solemn reverence by dudes who know a lot about why metal is good and they live in towns that the rest of Canada doesn’t really know exist but they’re there, and the dudes are working the mills, and dudes need riffs to survive. And if Laurenson could up the rough production qualities here, employ a better vocalist and drummer (both areas in need of some personality and personal flair), he could focus on his great songwriting and riffing skills and deliver those life-sustaining riffs in an excellent all-around package, a package that is currently hindered and kept at bar-band level by the missing parts of other band members (look, I know they can be pains in the butts, but they come in handy, really).