We were delighted to listen to the latest single from Kevin the Persian, here at the Send Me Your Ears studio today. Rock Is Dead is a track for lovers of Megadeth, Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica which meant that it absolutely ticked all the boxes for us.
Rock Is Dead is an ode to rock music sung from the perspective of a lifelong rock fan. The verses reflect on the current music scene while the chorus glorifies rock music for being there in the tougher periods of life.
The moment the track started we all, in unison, shouted “Oh Yeah!” Starting on a heavily driven/fuzz picked bass, the first few seconds of the track let you know immediately that you’re in for one hell of a ride. A heavy rocking song with a great mix and a really authentic feeling 90s style rock song.
The smacking and present drums are a real joy to listen to and the cavernous reverb on them works absolutely perfectly.
We like the stereo doubled vocals, slightly reminiscent of Faith No More. They carry the song well and are clear and easy to hear in the mix.
There’s a superbly constructed, Steve Vai style guitar solo at one point in the track (as if we didn’t already love it!) and the rise and fall throughout the track, with repeated guitar riffs connect the different sections of the song together very well indeed.
The whole track has a kind of later Megadeth style to it. We particularly like the repeated vocal line “rock is dead” that brings the song to a stinger ending.
While the album is self-produced, it was mixed by Austin Deptula and mastered by Marc Frigo. In terms of production, this song is absolutely outstanding. Every instrument is clearly heard and every frequency band is perfectly represented. To our ears, a tiny cut around 100Hz and a tiny shelf boost in the top octave to bring out the zing of the ride cymbal would be nice but to be clear, this song needs nothing in order to be awesome!
Kevin The Persian was a new name to us, but one which we will be actively seeking out in the future. This is high class anthemic hard rock and we strongly urge you to add this to your playlist today.