Label: Self released

Date: February 1st, 2021

First of all, let me offer a correction. The title of the record might imply that there are politicians that are not corrupt and therefore capable and willing to set you free. False! All the politicians are corrupt. It’s sort of a necessity when you are marching into politics. Therefore, the album might have been called “Politicians Will Never Set You Free”. Hell, they won’t even try! Or care about you or your freedom, for that matter.

Meanwhile, this Chicago, Illinois, based quartet of punks reach out to us with their second outing. The first being an EP, this is their debut full length album. On it, The Decayed present a combo of old punk, melodic hardcore and primal heavy / thrash metal. Much like it was announced in the promo sheet I’ve got.

Still, this melodic side to the band comes as a bit of a surprise to me. I must say, when I’ve read the mentioned depiction of what’s coming my way, I’ve expected something different. To be precise, I’ve expected a blatant outrage of angry, hate fueled music. Especially with a title like that. I expected – nay, I wanted – an explosion! But I did not get it unfortunately.

Now, don’t get me wrong. The record fulfills the standards in all three of the above mentioned genres. What’s more, it’s fluently swerving between them. It’s arranged to perfection by the guys who really know what they want and how they’re going to get it. In all of the departments. Also, they are very good at expressing their anger and outrage at the society and its leaders. Both musically and lyrically.

And that’s all fine while the band is at full blow. However, when they dig their heels and go for a melodic approach, the music becomes much softer and somehow unfit for the message it carries. Well, at least in some moments. For instance, the pair of tracks closing the album “The Dream is Dead / A Better Way” and the melodic segments within, particularly in the first part of the song, fits like a glove. Then again, the lyrics do carry a melancholic note and in that regard The Decayed hits the nail right on its head. On the other hand, “A Fire Inside” is a banger, calling for the fires within to burst into an all-out conflagration, but that guitar passage mellows it down to a spark.

Again, I’m not saying these pieces are bad. The mentioned one, in “A Fire Inside”, is actually brilliant, but it needs a better fit. Come to think of it, I find these melodies similar to Vodka Juniors, though the Greeks found a way to mix up such music in a better way. The Decayed are actually excellent when it comes to the creative side. Bass guitar in particular, has more than a few add-ons without which this album would be a far less rich of a recording. Guitars, drums, vocals, they are all peaking creatively all over the place. Neatly inserted couple of samples are also testifying to my statements.

However, I really cannot shake the feeling that The Decayed should get the atmosphere of their music in better order with the message in conveys. That is certainly the only downside to “Corrupt Politicians Will Never Set You Free”. And that’s just in a couple of tracks. Other than that, The Decayed is a force to be reckoned.