With a name like Death, you know the music is going to be interesting at least, and Death does not disappoint on that front. Their mixture of Motown and punk is an extremely unique combination of genre. It may not be the best or most polished music you’ve ever heard, but Death III does offer an original listening experience.
Death III is bookended by two instrumentals, “Introduction By David” and “First Snowfall In Detroit.” It’s strange enough to have two full instrumentals on an album, but both “Introduction” and “First Snowfall” are, for instrumentals, very sparse. There’s not a lot of virtuosity here; both are meant to stand alone as tracks, as opposed to acting as a stage for the individual talents of the musicians involved.
Death III’s first non-instrumental track, “North Street,” mostly sets the tone for the rest of the album. It’s bold, brash and definitely unpolished. By combining the themes of a racially tense Detroit and riffs that sound like they were ripped straight from the Dead Kennedys, “North Street” and the majority of Death III set the scene of a city (and a band) in chaos.
However, the best part of the album isn’t any of these things. The fourth track, titled “We Are Only People,” is a nine-minute opus dedicated to the differences between people and how they can be solved. “We Are Only People” spends the first four minutes gradually building through a peaceful acoustic riff and then explodes into a heartfelt message targeted at men and women everywhere.
Death III is not without problems. The tempo and vocals rarely match up, and the mixing of the album is subpar at best. The album sounds like it was supposed to be remastered, but nobody ever got around to doing it. This may be a play for authenticity, but actually hurts the listening experience.
In conclusion, Death III is a solid, unique listening experience that, although it has problems, mixes genres deftly and masterfully.
Rating: B
