With a title like Dinosaur and the knowledge that it took three years to make, you wouldn’t be wrong to assume this record to be a massive body of work. On the contrary – Dinosaur, the eighth LP from Theory of a Deadman, is their shortest to date. Clocking in its 34 minutes and 14 seconds, the 10-song album is, in fact, a strong one. It has a metal backbone, but a bluesy undercurrent, both resting alongside some of their most tongue-in-cheek songwriting to date. It officially releases this Friday, but we’re ready to highlight a bit of its punchiness now.
Following up their 2020 release, which was saddled with socially and politically charged lyrics, there is still an understanding of the world being quite the damning place to live. However, where else is there to go? Theory of a Deadman subtly questions that to a tee, sarcastically hints at barely understanding how to survive in this society, and somehow makes you want to mosh and dance and party all at once. A good example? This track here:
Maybe it’s the obvious wit, maybe it’s the funky instrumentation, but Dinosaur is an eclectic bunch of anthemic party jams that only make you think if you really sit there and dissect that stories, realities, and relationships at hand. This is not an album that ages you, nor is it an album that feels sophomoric. Dinosaur combines everything that this band has done well since the beginning of the century and sprinkles a little modernity over it so it’s fresh and fun for the newest of listeners and the oldest of fans.
The opening number and title track has some fire behind it, setting the tone, while “Sick” and “Get In Live” have an almost pop-punk-style uptempo roar to it, and “Summer Song” closes with an extra blip of band rowdiness. Still, the latter half is a bit less concise and exciting than the beginning, which is more banger-heavy. Each song, though, original and cover, is animated, clever, and guitar-driven, so there are no real ‘skips’ or lulls in the pacing or production. If anything, Dinosaur is one of the cleanest records from the band in terms of execution – every number packs a punch and is memorable. Maybe (just maybe) this is why the shorter runtime is not a true ‘con’ in the list of pros and cons for this eighth album of theirs.
DINOSAUR, THE NEW ALBUM FROM THEORY OF A DEADMAN, IS OUT ON FRIDAY, MARCH 17, WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO MUSIC!
