South of Salem kicked down the doors of our inbox a few years ago with their debut album and they’ve continued their relentless campaign for the last couple of years, seemingly never spending any time in their houses in 2023 as they were constantly on the road. But with an album like The Sinner Takes it All, can you really be surprised? And somehow the Bournemouth quintet have managed to find time to get into the studio and record a follow-up album.
What shouldn’t be surprising about Death of the Party is the quality of it – it’s every bit as good as the debut. As the band combine rock, metal and punk, they continue to do that on their second long player but now everything has been beefed up to the proverbial eleven and chucked in a helping of goth tones to add a new sinister ambiance to complement the horror punk element. Roaring straight out of the gates with “Vultures”, it shows the band are still refusing to take prisoners with a track far more ferocious and formidable than anything which appeared on the debut. Full of cataclysmic drums and squealing guitars whose dark tones marry perfectly with Joey Draper’s snarling and drawling vocals, it’s an ideal re-introduction to the band whilst showcasing how they’re upping the ante.
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Elsewhere, “Static” and “Bad Habits (Die Hard)” each contain intros akin to Alter Bridge and Black Stone Cherry, much like what many bands on the unsigned scene have been paying homage to for the last decade. Thankfully, in both instances, it’s simply the intro before both numbers segue into their own thing and even on these intros, they still sound like South of Salem. Namely, both songs have far more swagger than those bands who draw heavily from the American heavyweights as guitars chug and crunch, anchored by soaring choruses and engineered for some crowd participation.
Meanwhile, “Jet Black Eyes” and “Stitch the Wound” lean on the extra influences found within to make the band and album more than your traditional hard rock/metal. Appropriately, the former is full of gothic darkness with a massive arena-worthy chorus and melodic elements which allows the song itself to be right at home at your local rock club on a Friday night. The latter takes us into the horror punk territory for a dark and sinister track yet travels at breakneck pace and demands you to keep up, especially in its blistering guitar solo which effortlessly gives way to relentless double bass drumming. Their juxtaposition on sitting next to each other isn’t mere coincidence, it shows the scope of what South of Salem can do without making sacrifices.
Then we have the highlight of the album, “Left for Dead”. The album’s lead single and encapsulates the band and album. Featuring a galloping melody with guitars and drums locked in a race to the finish, it’s a monster of an anthem built for packed rooms to sing along with. Its gritty guitars from Kodi Kasper and Denis Sheriff along them to bring punk and 80s metal together with hints of glam, thrash and NWOBHM all blending together seamlessly for a thrill ride of a song which is such an earworm it should be illegal.
Whilst they are a band who trade primarily on high-octane rock, they’ve previously shown their softer side, namely with “Demons are Forever” on the debut. However, there’s not a sombre moment to be found on this album; admittedly, it would be great to have had something nestled in there to hear how they’d handle such a song three and a half years down the line but the album is never wanting for it. So if you want a breather, you’ll need to hit the pause button but once you hear the album, you’re unlikely to be doing that.
Death of the Party is the perfect follow-up to the debut. It shows growth and sophistication from a band who already stood out from the rest of the pack simply by sounding different from everyone else and being brilliant at it into the bargain. Everything has been refined whilst remaining firmly in their own camp without any unnecessary progression. These are songs which compliment those which came before by a band whose upwards trajectory isn’t stopping anytime soon. We’re not even three weeks into the year and it could only be South of Salem who have an album of the year contender.
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Header image by Scott Chalmers
Death of the Party is released on 19th January
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