Expecting the worst kind of extreme death metal possible, I warily popped in Songs for the Dead, an eight-song EP by the Virginia band Bella Morte and cringed when I pressed "play." Instead, my ears got a head rush from the raw circa-1980s energy of punk and metal that at times recalls The Ramones and Motorhead. Recorded during a three-day blitz and released pretty much as they sounded back then, these fast-paced tracks seethe with dark lyrics and a hardcore attitude augmented by smart melodies and musicians who actually sound like they can play. To demonstrate the band's diversity, Bella Morte even tosses in a lullaby-like instrumental-piano ballad, creatively titled "Untitled." Andy Deane's Jim Morrison-meets-Anthony-Kiedis-in-a-dark-alley voice shows its true potential on "The Devil's Eye," a slinky and eclectic mid-tempo rocker that - along with the forboding and riff-tastic "Final Words" - hints at where Bella Morte could go next. Not bad for three days' work.
Track Listing:
1) All I Have
2) The Forgotten
3) Legend
4) The Devil's Eyes
5) Dead Will Walk
6) The Stranger
7) Final Words
8) Untitled
Total Time: 26:33
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