Monuments
Reviewed By Duzzy Clayton
South African Metal Band Deadline is back with a new track, namely Monuments
Once again, Deadline does not disappoint and has come back with a hard-hitting in-your-face track.
Upon first listening to the track, I was immediately blown away by the in-your-face guitar and drums. Deadline has always been a heavy band, but this is one of their heaviest to date, which is going to please any longtime fan of the band.
Vocalist Jessy Switchblade’s undeniable vocals come in pretty soon in the song, giving it that cool Deadline sound we have all come to love and enjoy.
What I love about this song and this is something that has been happening since the start of Deadline. No matter if you are a past or present band member of the band, you will always be part of the Deadline family, and this particular track is the start of a track written by former guitarist Raven Chaos who left the track with the band as a parting gift, as Jessy Explains in this quote: “Our previous guitarist Raven Chaos gave us ‘Monuments’ as a parting gift before he left the band. He always wanted to write something faster and less melodic. He gave us the shell of the song and we transformed it into what you hear today. I wrote a poem several years ago called ‘Monuments’ that I made fit over the riff. I wanted to give it the Thrash Metal treatment, so I sang directly over the riff instead of coming up with a vocal melody.”
“The song itself is inspired by the fall of communism and the political-themed poem ‘Ozymandias’ by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Ultimately, great liberators end up being the people that cause our demise. All great empires eventually fall due to greed. I suppose we are basing something similar in our own country, South Africa, right now, although we never used our current state of affairs as the inspiration behind this track. I remember being a pre-teen when the Soviet Union collapsed and was divided into the Commonwealth of Independent States, seeing the massive statue of Stalin destroyed and the people celebrating the collapse of communism. It tied up so nicely with the poem by Shelley. That image never left my mind, and I’m glad I could use it as a song all these years later. I wanted to say with this song that the more things change, the more they stay the same.” explains Jessy Switchblade.
Everything about Monuments is awesome, from the heavy guitar, bass, and drums to the on-point vocals and lyrics, Deadline just keeps going from strength to strength, and if Monuments doesn’t gain some new fans and tickle the warmth and cockles of old fans. Then I don’t know what will, because this is metal at its best and I still find it amazing and inspiring that South Africa is producing quality bands such as Deadline.
Monuments comes with a cool lyric video. Now I know you are asking how a lyric video can be cool. It’s not a real shot video with a storyline and glimpse of the band members, but this is where I admire Deadline because they put thought into everything they do, and this particular lyric video has some amazing artwork as the words appear on the screen. Its little details like that make you stand out from the rest and Deadline defiantly does stand out.
I can picture myself playing this track a lot on my radio show and I do think it is going to do well on radio stations around the world. I am so excited about the success and strength Deadline is receiving at the moment and I look forward to not only the future of the band but also the future of South African Metal. This scene looks bright.
I would like to congratulate Deadline on an awesome new track and I cannot wait for the new album. If this song is anything to go about, then it’s going to be awesome.
Monuments is officially available on all online streaming platforms from Friday 17th February 2023
Deadline ‘Monuments’
Clean Lyrics
Monuments in darkness, erected, neglected
Monuments in shadows, forever protected
In history they revel, the conquerors asylum
As they count every brick and every triumph
For centuries they’ve stood, never stirred, never broken
Loyal to their cause, loyal to their builder
But history writes itself, it fuels a revolution
These monuments must fall, the only solution
There is nothing left to do
But face your fears with dynamite and burn them down, fire!
Burn them down, fire!
The sweet sound of reform echoes through our cities
The future is our guide, and it pays our bounty
Insurrection cradles fear as the stones are cast aside
These monuments must fall, in revolution we confide
There is nothing left to do
But face your fears with dynamite and burn them down, fire!
Burn them down, fire!
Monuments in darkness, a memory forgotten
Monuments in shadows, our lies, our doctrine
To ashes they’re reduced, from these ashes they’ll arise
New monuments of hope, more repression in disguise
There is nothing left to do
But face your fears with dynamite and burn them down, fire!
Burn them down, fire!
Burn them down!
Burn them down!
Deadline Social Media