I go back with Exciter and Dan Beehler a long time; they were an integral part of my youth in heavy metal, that’s for certain. I also know well the Beehler vocal and how all-consuming it can be, so I was prepared for Messages to the Dead.

In the basest terms, I somewhat like the music on the record; it seems to take all of the elements of traditional heavy metal and speedy thrash and assemble them in a decent filing order. For all of the pomp and circumstance that surrounds albums of similar design this is about as stripped down as it gets, save for a bit of polishing. That said, I’ll be honest (as much as it pains me) I’m just not pulled into this record like I should be. I’m not completely sure if it’s the vocals that provide too much chaos for me; Beehler’s high-pitched screaming is more modern Rob Halford than classic era, and for me it just seems overdone and over-the-top in spots. I know, it’s his style and has been for years, but for some reason it just feels somewhat forced here. I find it hard to stay wholly focused on the songs which, at times, seem to all sound similar, complete with chugging and repetitive guitar riffs that would be fine sporadically issued in much more sparing fashion.

I wish Beehler would have stuck to his mid-range delivery with a few highs mixed in for measure and effect, but the growling barking in “Eternal Tormentor” just leaves me flat. Maybe I’m stuck in a more modern chasm of engagement, but while the whole of the album does entertain and reset the boundaries of true metal music there is but one or two small nuances that simply don’t do much for me. I wish I was more ‘into’ the album because there is some overtly decent music to be had here; what I find boring and ineffectual is the patterned assemblage of the riffs and all-too-predictable time changes. So much more could have been done with the music, which is evidenced in “The End of the World” or “Megalodon.” 

The other umbrage I take is with the lyrical content, which, by all accounts, is basic and pedestrian. “Organized Mayhem” follows every ho-hum metal song vying to be an anthem, and if the eternal anthem isn’t the intended target then it’s the virtual ‘anger’ track that attempts to let the listener know the band is hateful and distrustful of others, which I can completely be on board with if it wasn’t the basic pretense of the entire record. I really do like the aforementioned “Megalodon”, which has pretty intense guitar work throughout; I wish more attention was paid to shaking up typicality and tapping into the resources that created that little piece of magic.

What I feel is that this record is the type of album that the younger generation could and ultimately should hear; it’s a lesson in the flag-waving side of heavy metal music, which is all well and good if you’re young and ready to go to war for your music. However, for guys like me, entered screaming and kicking into their 40’s, those wars are long gone and old soldiers remain, veterans of a time that saw some of the most tumultuous battles no other genre of music could ever envision. Madonna, Prince, Lady GaGa - none of these artists dealt or deals with what the metal community did and still does. That said, this is just the right record with which to employ all of the pride and loyalty you might muster for the cause; in short, it is your extended theme song, and for that reason alone it can be a treasure. I appreciate and genuinely revere Dan Beehler’s existence and contribution to heavy metal music, but Messages to the Dead is not something I can really find comfort within as one of the old soldiers enjoying his near-sunset time watching these kids take over the ol’ gun towers with all of the pride and passion necessary for good cannon fodder.

TRACK LISTING

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*Comments:

1.  Jet Black
2.  March of Death
3.  Eternal Tormentor
4.  Message to the Dead
5.  Destitute Abuser
6.  In Know One We Trust
7.  Organized Mayhem
8.  Destroy
9.  Megalodon
10.  Kill the Witch
11.  The End of the World

Total playing time:  38:21

Release Date: December 5, 2011
Label: High Roller Records

Bëehler - Messages to the Dead

Reviewer: Chris

May 4, 2012