From the moment the vocals kicked in on this release, I knew I was in for a treat. DEARLY DEPARTED feature Mike Mallamo on the pipes, and his voice is an instantaneous reminder back his previous band, the influentional Long Island act, INSIDE. I’m sure that Mike and the rest of this band do not want to live on the laurels of their past, especially since it has been about four years since INSIDE ceased to exist, but the musical comparision would be unjust if it was not mentioned. This is a five track EP that covers almost 22 minutes music, closed out by an acoustic outro. The first four tunes are very powerful in a mid-paced, lush sort of way. Thick guitars churn like waves, consistently sending notes trudging along to the shore. Mallamo’s vocals soothe passively, until the fourth song, “The Masquerade,” (the clear standout) where his range tops out above intense riffing and ambient soundscapes. Although boiled in a soft indie-rock pretense, DEARLY DEPARTED escape the trappings lyrics so esoteric that they make sense to no one but the authors. Personal and true, the sorrow conveyed is easy to grasp onto. Finally, the cover art to “The Remains…” earns a “what in the hell?” earmarking, featuring several forks hanging from a sparsely leaved tree. Uh yeah. Anyway, this is a great debut from the band, and hopefully they will follow with a full-length in the not-too-distant future.

One Day Savior

www.onedaysavior.com