ALBUM REVIEW: Surrender – Dead Lord

The influence of British rock from the 1970’s can never be underestimated – if all genres within alternative music were placed on an image of a giant oak tree, the works of bands such as UFO and STATUS QUO would be either at the foot of the trunk or on the roots themselves. Despite the various branches that have developed over the last half century, many bands are intent on keeping themselves as close to the source as possible and DEAD LORD from Sweden are one such band, whose fourth album Surrender was released on Friday via Century Media Records.

To write classic, 4/4 rock might not be as taxing as something with several time signatures or guitar effects, but to actually execute it well is incredibly difficult. Surrender is firmly an album in the latter of these ideals; ten songs across forty minutes with plenty of bounce and heart involved in its creation.

DEAD LORD wear their influences fully on their sleeves and, in particular, the twin-axe attack of THIN LIZZY, who are all over this record from the catchy Letter From Allen St. to the defiant The Loner’s Way, a message of solidarity and keeping upbeat even when the world feels against you. Opening track Distance Over Time adds a dash of MAIDEN into the opening riffs and Evil Always Wins  – which shouts the album title repeatedly – combines the glam structure of KISS with the no-nonsense attitude of AC/DC and throws in a cowbell for good measure; as the saying goes, ‘You can never have too much cowbell.’

But Surrender isn’t just a collection of good, infectious rock songs from Scandinavia – there are plenty of tender moments as well. As far as songs go, look no further than Messin’ Up – laid back and steadier with an acoustic guitar firmly in the mix, DEAD LORD do plenty to bare their soul on a tune that tugs more than a little on the heartstrings as it progresses. It beautifully segues into Dark End of the Rainbow which seems to be a lot more upbeat until you hear frontman Hakim Krim sing ‘We might be old or dead, but still chasing that pot of gold’ and the mood of the track shifts accordingly. The lyrics don’t always inspire though – Authority rumbles along with a much sinister tone and Krim singing ‘Your freedom is borrowed, so watch it’ seems to be the beginning of a war cry against the powers that be, until the chorus begins with ‘Doesn’t matter who you wanna be, respect authority’ and any insolence that may have been built up is removed immediately.

Hard rock is often a genre for long, sunny days and drinks in the park with friends, but even as the summer of 2020 draws to a close, DEAD LORD have snuck their way in with a final hurrah to soundtrack the brighter days before the nights draw in and the temperature drops. Surrender will not be the most technical or daring album released this year, but for a collection of solid rock songs to play with a pint in your hand, you could do far worse.

Rating: 7/10

Surrender is out now via Century Media Records. 

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