Post Death Soundtrack

Anyone who knows me knows that I am attracted to dark moody music, with philosophically brooding lyrics. There is no such thing as too dark! I get my fix from a variety of sources – post-punk gothic bands, experimental electronica, industrial, darkwave, and post-rock. But imagine for a moment if you could merge all of that into one band? Imagine there was a band out there that could bring together a variety of different strands, forgo conventional categorization, and instead write music from a primal, emotional nexus. Genre becomes irrelevant, and all that matters is mood… the visceral… the powerful, dark undertow that drowns you. Imagine for a moment that all that matters are those arrangements and words that rip right into you but give you a euphoric catharsis. If you are having a difficult time imagining it, I would like to introduce you to Post Death Soundtrack.

(Post Death Soundtrack / Photo by Michael Seelt)

Post Death Soundtrack is the brainchild of Kenneth Buck and Steve Moore, and evolved to include Colin Everall and Jon Ireson. Each of the four member brings their individual experiences, musical tastes, and savvy and expertise to the table. And though the band touts itself as the antithesis of what the music industry has become, it may be better to think of them as one of the bands that should be respected and emulated – not so much the antithesis, but rather the approach to craftsmanship that makes quality, relevant, urgent music. Equally as comfortable penning a trip-hop song like “Long Cold Night” or a gothic, industrial song like “Decentralized” (currently my obsession, listen to it a hundred times and I assure you that you will be a different person), Post Death Soundtrack has chameleonic prowess, which allows them to literally transform their sound from song to song. What else could be said about this eclectic collection of songs on their debut album? “Euchreist” has something of the 80s in it, but does not rehash the industrial and electric body music of that period. What makes this song completely different from its distant past brethrens is that it is more sophisticated, with amazing shifts in tone and tempo. The closing track, “I’ll Meet You at the End,” which opens with an ominous heartbeat, sports out an acoustic guitar, a wicked double vocal harmony, beautiful arabesque post-punk styled ambient keys, and a subtlety that is as entrancing as gut wrenching.

Recently making their debut CD, “Music As Weaponry” (16 September 2008), available on CDBaby for purchase, the band plans to release two items in 2010. The first will be “Weapons Reloaded.” This will include remixes and alternate versions of the tracks, as well as new material and covers of Dead Can Dance (“Anywhere Out of the World”) and The Doors (“Riders on the Storm”). Both of these covers are available for downloading from their official site, but I want you to take a moment and consider this: sure there are many bands that are great at covering music, and there are a few great cover albums out there, but how many bands out there would cover two songs that are worlds apart? Not many, and this is the kind of daring that the band brings to the table.

The second release this year will be the follow-up to “Music As Weaponry,” and if you have been listening carefully to the background, you are getting a glimpse of the future. As a four-man piece, the depth of the music is greater… Just take another listen to the first track, “Beauty, Eyes I Adore.” With an opening vocal arrangement reminiscent of early electronic darkwave, when the beat drops the feeling of claustrophobia and anxiousness takes over you. And if you want even moodier, the second track, “Our Time Is Now,” is for you. Dark, menacing, and chaotic, this song easily proves that Post Death Soundtrack is the most relevant industrial band out there at the moment. Yes, the most relevant, because this is not cookie-cutter, reproduction of the past. And, if you have been listening carefully, you understand when I say that Post Death Soundtrack not only reached the bar, they set it higher.

My thanks to Steve Moore for sharing these two tracks.

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Keep up with Post Death Soundtrack at their homepage, MySpace, and Facebook. Do not forget to visit CDBaby!

Also, check out the photography of Michael Seelt at Seelt Studios.