Gary Numan - Dead Son Rising

  by Andy Cassidy

published: 12 / 11 / 2011

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Thirty three years and twenty one studio albums on from his first release, Gary Numan shows no sign of slowing down. His latest album, 'Dead Son Rising', has an urgency and vitality which one would normally expect from a much younger act. The album continues seamlessly from 2006’s 'Jagged' – both were written by Numan and Ade Fenton and share thematic and musical similarities. The album opens with the mood-setting instrumental 'Resurrection', its dark, industrial grind presaging the tone of the tracks to follow. Resurrection bleeds into the urgent and pulsing 'Big Noise Transmission'. The refrain is a massive swell of thrashing guitar chords and strident vocals set over a typically Numan-esque synth background. Track three is 'Dead Sun Rising', not to be confused with the album title, Dead Son Rising. I’m not entirely sure what Numan meant by this, but it has caused some confusion for me! Despite this, 'Dead Sun Rising' is a great song, with angular guitars ripping through a synth background like buzz saws. One thing which I have always enjoyed about Gary Numan’s music is his ability to perfectly balance hard-edged music with moments of great melodic subtlety, and there is ample evidence of this on 'Dead Son Rising'. In amongst the distorted guitars, pounding drums and hyperactive synthesisers there lie such gems as 'Not the Love We Dream Of', a wonderfully tender song which, far from seeming out of place on the album, serves to illustrate another facet of Numan’s undeniable talent. 'Not the Love We Dream Of' is followed by the album’s first single, 'The Fall'. 'The Fall' is more of a dance track than anything else on the album, but, despite this, it retains the unique Numan sound. Bonus tracks aside, the album proper closes with 'Into Battle', a five minute collage of industrial loops and piano doodles. It is a very effective ending to the album, and the abrupt cut-off continues to surprise even after several hearings. When I spoke to Gary Numan about the release of this album, he intimated that the initial idea had been to put together an album of out-takes prior to recording a “proper” album in 2012. Fortunately, rather than the album of b-sides and out-takes he had intended to release, Numan and Fenton got together and recorded 'Dead Son Rising'. 'Dead Son Rising' is a triumph, showcasing some of Numan’s strongest work to date. His collaborations with Ade Fenton yield fantastic results and can only bode well for the future.

Track Listing:-

1 Resurrection
2 Big Noise Transmission
3 Dead Sun Rising
4 When The Sky Bleeds He Will Come
5 For The Rest Of My Life
6 Not The Love We Dream Of
7 The Fall
8 We Are Lost
9 For The Rest Of My Life (Reprise)
10 Into Battle
11 Not The Love We Dream Of (Piano Version)

Band Links:-

https://garynuman.com/
https://www.facebook.com/GaryNumanOfficial/
https://garynuman.lnk.to/TwitterWE

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