“Life’s Grand Delusion” is the debut album by the Malta-based alternative/melodic metal outfit DAMAGED & CO. The full-length is composed of eleven tracks (including one instrumental), written in four years, showcasing different influences from metalcore, dark/symphonic metal, and alternative metal. What makes “Life’s Grand Delusion” so brilliant and unique is the band’s ability to make every song a gem, with a clear identity, and a straight message. The songs are far from being “technical” but shine for being written by the band as a whole. Thanks to hard collective work, the sound and the lyrics of each song are intimately connected, both in the mood and in the meaning. The lyrics usually deal with existential issues: life, death, the afterlife, and anything in between, and how we, as individuals deal with pain tragedy, addiction, anger, persecution, loss, and finding a purpose in life. As a reflection, the album’s atmosphere is melancholic and bitter. There is no place for innocence, or “naive positivism”. Time is limited, we have to grow up and take a stand, because life is hard and, when we are deprived of love, it becomes a perennial grave. Like a photographer, who portrays reality for what it is, DAMAGED & CO. is thirsty for Clarity and Truth (a word that comes back several times during the album), without pretending to take the world on one's shoulders to revolutionize it.
The cohesive force of the band is underlined by the high-class mixing and mastering by Matt Hyde, who has worked with bands like Slipknot, Bullet for My Valentine, Trivium, Machine Head, As I Lay Dying, and Chimaira. |
