Artist: Speakers For The Dead
Album: Prey For Murder
Label: Magna Carta Records
Tracks: 12
Length: 50:52
Reviewed by: Jeff K.

I don't know how else to say this....Speakers For The Dead sound like a parody band.  Within one song, you are thrust into some of the most cliché' lyrics and simplistic beats that sound like a band playing at the local bar on "Metal Night".  The album kicks off with the declaration, "Look in my eyes/What do you see/I am not God/I am just me".  Not exactly thought provoking.

There's really not much here to chew on.  One sub par track after another fills the near hour-long disc.  When the music doesn't sound simplistic, it sounds incredibly hollow.  Perhaps the band was shooting for the real effect of a 4 piece band, rather than layering the songs with multiple guitar parts.  Even if that is the case, they would probably have to be the only band on earth that does so.

Vocally, it seems as if singer Curtis Shamlin is unsure as to what he should do.  Often throughout the disc he switches, even mid-song between yelling, singing, and screaming.  It just doesn't work.  He would have been much better off picking one and sticking with it.  And one should never, EVER, perform a spoken vocal as is done on the track "About to Fall".  I believe that is probably one of the worst ideas ever.

Overall, it was hard to come away with anything positive from this cd.  Perhaps if the vocals were more honed-in, and the music was a bit more mature, instead of sounding like the musicians just learned how to play this year, this would be a better release.  That's hard to say though.