Dead Skeletons
Dead Magik

When one thinks of Iceland in musical terms, Bjork immediately comes to the mind of everyone, absolutely everyone. Then came Sigur Ros. But besides these two incredibly famous names, it's worth mentioning bands like Mum, FM Belfast, and Dead Skeletons among the artists who have managed to emerge from the small Iceland and reach us.

And I'd like to talk about the latter. They are "sonically" in total antithesis with the aforementioned bands. Their album Dead Magik is a piece of psychedelic rock comparable to early BRMC, to give you an immediate idea of the sound. And obviously, it encompasses everything that comes with being "colleagues" of BRMC, thus having a shoegaze derivation, being utterly rock in spirit, but less gritty. But the comparison ends here; it was just to frame them. I saw them live a few weeks ago at Hana-bi in Marina di Ravenna at the Beaches Brew Festival. Despite the terrible cold and so-so sound, the concert was really great. I'd say it was suggestive. Maybe it’s the impact of seeing two cultures so distant from each other, the somewhat mysterious and icy culture of Iceland with the warm, deep, and blackness of rock. Furthermore, the singer creates paintings during the performance on stage. Almost the product of his spiritual journey through the rite of music, turning everything into a work of art where various aspects of it intertwine. The album is cool, and they are cool.

Something to be experienced every once in a while. Because truly, it’s a whirlwind of journeys within a journey. The first 3 tracks are already like a prologue to the album, setting the mood from which we won't emerge for over an hour. A mood as unsettling as it is profoundly intimate. The perfect soundtrack for some seventies-flavored film….. Really cool.