Artist: Dead Poetic
Album: Vices
Label: Tooth and Nail Records
Purchase: Interpunk
Release Date: October 31st, 2006

Overall: 9.5
Music: 8.9
Lyrics: 9.9
Production: 10.0

Dead Poetic is a band that has evolved from this screaming, underground band into a band that seems to have found their style in which they [appear to be] are very comfortable. Straight up rock would be the best category to place this release into, and it may just be me but that category has seemed to be lacking this year and thus this record hits a sweet spot of musical goodness.

Musically, Vices is full of energy and aggression. The opening song â┚¬Ã…”Cannibal vs. cunningâ┚¬? starts with quick drums then right into the crunchy guitars that create a wall of sound. â┚¬Ã…”Self-destruct and dieâ┚¬? starts slower but before you know it, itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s up to speed with the others. â┚¬Ã…”Paralyticâ┚¬? starts with a cool spacey feeling, and mellow vocals that then become distorted. The song has slow verses but then breaks into these big choruses. The song hits hard about 2:40 into the song and doesnâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t let up till the end, definitely ranking high on my favorites on this record.

The word vice comes from the Latin word vitium, meaning “failing or defect”. I got that from Wikipedia, and as soon as I read that, I knew why the newest Dead Poetic record is called Vices. Lyrically, this record is all about our defects and having to deal with the things that every person struggles with. The record is a seemingly dark one, with song titles like â┚¬Ã…”Self-destruct and dieâ┚¬? and â┚¬Ã…”Crashing downâ┚¬? and the lyrics â┚¬Ã…”The fire burns like cancer, the scarring lasts foreverâ┚¬Ã‚¦Ãƒ¢Ã¢”š¬?. Although the CD may feel dark at times, I see this record as more of one that is full of hope. The songs, while dealing with deep issues, still have a positive outlook that shines through. This album takes all the things in life that no one likes to talk about and faces the issues head on, which can best be summed up with the lyrics from the song vices â┚¬Ã…”Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ve got vices like any other manâ┚¬Ã‚¦Vices that will make you think less of meâ┚¬?.

This is a different, yet not foreign, Dead Poetic than we have seen before, but I think they shine like we havenâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t seen them do so before. And while I donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t think this new style will alienate any previous dead poetic fans, I think they will be gaining more after Vices hits stores on Halloween.

Track listing
1 Cannibal Vs. Cunning
2 Lioness
3 Self-Destruct And Die
4 Narcotic
5 In Coma
6 Long Forgotten
7 Pretty Pretty
8 Sinless City
9 The Victim
10 Paralytic
11 Animals
12 Crashing Down
13 Copy Of A Copy
14 Vice