Dr. Living Dead

Dr. Living Dead is a thrash metal band hailing from Sweden. Starting out in ’07 DR. LIVING DEAD! turned into skull-mask and bandana wearing thrash monsters over the course of two demos - “Thrash After Death” (2007), “Thrashing The Law” (2008) – and the much-lauded albums “Dr. Living Dead!” (2011) and “Radioactive Intervention” (2012). The latter even scored album of the month in Germany’s Metal Hammer and though thrash is a genre crowded with new acts, the Doc’s approach and especially visual impact quickly made them one of the most celebrated newer acts within the genre. While looking like the undead version of Suicidal Tendencies and new singer Dr. Mania’s melodic vocals resembling Mike Muir as well, the “Big Four” are probably to blame for the Doc’s musical fundament of diverse riffs, smart guitar leads and highly dynamic arrangements. Add to that, lyrical and conceptual references to 80’s horror/sci-fi flicks, the Doc are in fact a perfect vintage skateboarding soundtrack and find massive support also beyond genre freaks. Always working by the sonic formula that aggression does not need to rule out melody or surprising instrumental twists and turns, except for ballads, “Crush The Sublime Gods”, DR. LIVING DEAD!’s debut for Century Media Records offers a wide array of mid-tempo stompers (“Another Life”, “Force Fed”), slayerized fast tracks (“Civilized To Death”, “Scanners”) grooving, melodic numbers (“No Way Out”) and mounts in the 6min long closing epos “Wake Up…Join The Dead” that unites all elements of their multi-faceted sound. Recorded at Soundlab Studios in Örebro, Sweden in September 2014 and featuring former vocalist Dr. Ape’s trademark artwork, the band is confidently promising its finest hour to date: “On the first albums we were still somewhat searching; the new album has a more refined sense of direction and shows a definitive style for the Doc. The songwriting has been collaborative and our new members Mania and Slam gel perfectly with Toxic’s and Rad’s patented riff-fests. The new album was inspired by all of our experiences together during the last two years and it definitely pays off.” Renowned as an energetic live band, DR. LIVING DEAD! already wreaked havoc upon festivals like Wacken, Hellfest, Tuska, Summer Breeze, Brutal Assault, Rock Hard etc., supported Suicidal Tendencies and Slayer in Sweden, toured Brazil and left audiences sweaty, happy and overwhelmed by a sudden love of skulls. Thrash metal is probably the no.1 genre within the manifold subgenres of heavy music closest to the essence of “all things metal”. From its rabid aggression, its maelstrom of palm-muted crunch and high speed riffing to its raw vocals and manic drumming, every goddamn metal head on this planet likes minimum one, most likely all of the genre’s greats. From the Teutonic masters like Kreator, Sodom, Destruction over US legends like Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Testament, Megadeth, Exodus, Overkill to cross-over acts like Suicidal Tendencies, D.R.I., S.O.D., Nuclear Assault – thrash has always been the beating heart of pure, unpolished and honest metal since the early 80’s. Even now, legions of youngsters keep thrashing hard, start their own bands and gather new kids to the cause. Sweden’s DR. LIVING DEAD! were obviously influenced by many of the acts mentioned above, wearing the mark of 80’s thrash proudly on their sleeves, ignoring experimentation and forced innovation in favor of simply kicking ass and writing memorable songs. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.