Behind every truly great album is a great story. The reason music is so universal is that the songs that unite us have meaning. The same song can mean a multitude of different things to different people — but music that connects with us has emotion. Dead Girls Academy is a band with a story to tell, for sure.
Michael Orlando was living the dream — he was touring with several bands, including his own fronted project, Vampires Everywhere. All of that came to a head several years ago, when Orlando was in a major bus accident while touring. He was pronounced dead momentarily as a result of the accident, but he would go on to make a full recovery. After years of pain, heartache, and reconstructive surgery Orlando was ready to come back to do the thing he loves. He decided to form a new band and enlisted the help of his best friend Ronnie Radke (Falling in Reverse, Escape the Fate) to create somewhat of a supergroup with the second chance he was given. With that, Dead Girls Academy was born — and this band does not disappoint!
The first track on the album sets the tone for Alchemy and establishes an identity for Dead Girls Academy. “Medicine” is an anthem. The chorus grabs your attention with the type of melodic theatrics that Radke has become known for. The song overall has an epic feel and the hook is likely to be stuck in your head. Though the track is catchy, it has heavy elements that kept me engaged. The album itself is diverse as these artists.
The second track, entitled “Forever”, comes from a very deep place lyrically. I love this song because it has a killer bass line that drives the song, but mostly because it has the chilling, group chanting vocals reminiscent of bands like AFI. “Cannibal”, a strong track towards the end of the album, gives me the feeling that is My Chemical Romance was still making music, this could be a track on their record. It’s heavier, but it has the same dark and gritty lyrics with the feel of the cult favorites. And I mean that in the best way possible.
The album has two advance singles “No Way Out” and “I’ll Find a Way”. “No Way Out” is a heavier track that has that unique style that Radke has found success with in his other project, Falling in Reverse. It is a heavy track that incorporates the striking clean vocals backed by a gritty and harmonious (if not eerie at times given the minor dissonance) group vocal. The track also incorporates synth and keyboard elements to give it that signature touch. This is a song that fits right in on the hard rock charts. “I’ll Find A Way” is one of my favorite tracks on the album. It is another catch, singalong anthem that really grabs your attention but at the same time stands out as unique and different than other songs.
Alchemy is set to release on Victory Records on June 15th, 2018. This album bridges the gap between hard rock, punk, and hair metal, with elements of pop and electronica scattered throughout. The guitar work is flawless, there are great driving bass lines, and the vocals, sometimes in three-part group harmonies, are the major selling points of the record. Make sure you don’t miss this release!
TAGS: Dead Girls Academy | Victory Records
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