Down Among The Dead Men - ...And You Will Obey Me

By Dingram's impeccable waistcoat, what in the house of blue FUCK is this majesty?!

Down Among The Dead Men never fail to deliver a blinding album, their death metal-meets-crust punk sound automatically trims the fat and gets right down the meat of things; heavy, catchy, intense riffing in short bursts. It's a fucking perfect formula that's served them well for two albums, so when I was sent their newest release, I was understandably optimistic. Dave and Rogga just don't do bad records, it's a scientific impossibility, but '...And You Will Obey Me' might be one of those very rare albums I can honestly call fucking perfect in every single way.

To the casual listener, '...And You Will Obey Me' is pretty much more of what you're used to, but after a second spin, it becomes very apparent the jump in songwriting quality - the meticulous refinement of the faithful formula - is frankly astounding. From the opening salvo of 'Destroy The Infinite' to the closing pugilism of 'Panopticon', every single song on this record is a masterpiece in its own right and would be the shining jewel in any other band's crown. The ever-busy Rogga Johansson is in his element here, breaking out some fantastic solos throughout the album this time around - something that was exceptionally rare on previous DATDM releases - and delivering some of the best arrangements I have ever heard on a death metal album, with 'Darkness of Glass' boasting one of the heaviest intros ever put to disc. Another prime example of this would be the surprise 'sequel' of sorts, 'Eye Of Harmony', which reprises the riff from 'A Handful Of Dust' off the first album - hell, even the first line is "From another handful of dust" - and climaxes with some incredible lead work, yet despite being the longest track in the band's catalogue at 3:50, it almost feels like it's over too soon. As a matter of fact, the songs are a little longer in general this time around, with nothing dipping below the two-and-a-half-minute mark, thus there are fewer tracks here than on the last album. A worthy trade considering the massive jump in songwriting quality.

And of course, we can't neglect Dave Ingram (Snr.) who is once again sounding even better than ever, so much so that I'd champion the lad as the best vocalist in the entire genre next to Kam Lee at this point. The man delivers his lines with such conviction that it truly makes you wonder why other vocalists even bother; the album title says it all, but when you put on the title track and hear him bellowing "I am the master... and you will obey" you cant help but... well, fucking obey. Few can convey such authoritative menace so convincingly that it makes your hair stand on end, and Dave seals the deal with the intro for 'Darkness Of Glass' mentioned earlier, where he brings the whole thing in with one of the most authentic Tom Warrior-esque 'URGH's I've ever heard, giving us a genuine moment of childlike "OH MY FUCK THAT IS SO GODDAMN COOL!" right near the end of what is an already exhilerating album.

I've gone off on another excitable tangent, I'm sorry. I just... fuck, this album is so, so good. Everything from the production and the composition right down to the cover artwork is just utterly perfect in every way, and I feel like doing my usual schtick with Dave's albums (i.e. making a joke at the title's expense) would just be wrong in this instance. There really is no topping this. We have new albums from bands like Memoriam and Onslaught due this year, as well as the long-awaited new Coroner album on the horizon, and honestly... I don't think any of them could possibly hold a candle to this magnificent specimen. Apples and oranges perhaps, but I can't do '...And You Will Obey Me' justice in writing. This has immediately forced its way into my top five albums of all time, and only three months into 2018, is going to take the top spot in my albums of the year list this December without a shadow of a doubt. If I could give this a 20/5 score, I fucking well would, because this is death metal at its insurmountable finest.

Dave and Rogga are your masters... and you WILL obey!


1. Destroy The Infinite
2. Axis Of Insanity
3. ...And You Will Obey Me
4. The End Of Time
5. Omega
6. House Of Blue Fire
7. The Age Of Steel
8. Eye Of Harmony
9. Darkness Of Glass
10. Panopticon