Review of Closer Than Kin - Dead Flowers For A Dying Lover

At a glance when I nabbed Boston's, Closer Than Kin's recent submission from the cherished P.O. Box a couple of things immediately caught my attention. Firstly when I looked at the cover and read the title, Dead Flowers for a Dying Lover, great fucking title. Second was when I flipped the jacket over and low and behold what did I see, a bloodied corpse with her hands bound while lying in a bathtub. Well, well, now tell me the first thing that would come to mind if you would have seen the same, it would have to be the quick assumption of Gore Metal, correct? After throwing this more than worthy submission in the disc player I couldn't have been any farther away from their actual sound. So the first comment to the negative would have to be, design an album cover that portrays your music, fuck the shock value shit, you're only going to alienate yourselves with this cover art, which is a great loss because there is some damn worthy music on this disc. I could really give a fuck but there are people out there that could easily get into your music but will stray away from such a graphic visual. Closer Than Kin combine what in my opinion is a cross between raw hardcore/metal and punk rudiments. Not the drunken- bafoonian-haphazard-don't give a fuck type of punk sound but more along the lines of a controlled D.R.I. feel. Add the hardcore to the mix and at times I hear elements of Shadows Fall within this offering. Up on the table of dissection are 5 songs: an Intro, Dead Flowers for a Dying Lover, If Demons Could Weep, When Toys are Traded for Tears, and The Decay of Autumn, with each song offering up its own merit of true worth. Aside from the intro, which only beholds straightforward hardcore vocals, each song has two voices within. The first is a clean voice, which fits well and is gracefully smooth. The second is a harsh almost death voice which only amplifies the heavy, in the end they meld together perfectly, hence the Shadows Fall comparison but all in all that is the only similarity, Closer Than Kin do possess their own sound. The guitar progressions are thoroughly belligerent and move back and forth from crunch to a highly energized punk riffing style all the while maintaining a general heavy appeal. As for the production, this would have to go under the negative category, with the kick drums sounding like cardboard and the guitars giving off an old school Gorilla practice amp feel, but to C.T.K's credit the music stills works within the piss poor recording and only amplifies the point that if given a substantial recording budget this band could really turn-out a great album. Bottom Line. Closer Than Kin have assembled a very solid album, the combination of genres is refreshing and even somewhat unique. Aside from the few complaints I have which mind you can be easily rectified, this band in my eyes has a chance. I would also have to believe this sound works all too well in a live setting too, so if you cats are going to be in the Minneapolis area hook me up, I would definitely like to see this shit on stage. One thing I almost forgot to mention was the lyrics, which were surprisingly well thought out and at times had me singing right along. The final thoughts… Nice fucking work guys!

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Closer Than Kin

Dead Flowers For A Dying Lover

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