Dead When I Found Her - Eyes On Backwards

Sometimes the best way to go forward is by taking a step backwards as is the case with Dead When I Found Her, the old school influenced electro-industrial act that is spearheaded by Michael Arthur Holloway. My rantings and ravings are already probably coming off various other positive reviews and comments from fans and critics alike from his sensational history of great albums as well as the new praises for his most recent album Eyes on Backwards. 

The first thing you will notice as soon as you pop the CD into your player or double click on that little MP3 icon is the huge amount of influence that Skinny Puppy holds over Holloway's works. While his previous albums such as his 2012's hit Rag Doll Blues always held a calling to EBM and industrial legends of the mid 80s to early 90s, there's no denying this time around that Holloway has channeled his inner Nivek Ogre and delivered another smashing album. 

Eyes On Backwards starts off extremely aggressive with the tracks 'Tantrum' and 'The Big Reverse' where the angry, dance beats of the analogue era dominate. Those old school sounds and machine meets electronics sound lasts throughout the whole album, pulsating song after song after song. Whether it's those two intro tracks, 'Midlife Eclipse', or 'Braille', there is not a single song on this album that isn't well crafted. Each track on the album demands a replay and I have listened to Eyes On Backwards on multiple car rides. 

One of my absolute favorite tracks on the album comes from 'High Anxiety'. The song has a fantastic synth driven opening sequence where a sample plays out, "You treat me like a normal person and I thank you for it. But I'm not a normal person." Percussion drives the track forward, and by the time the two-minute mark hits, you're listening to an entirely different song. This is Dead When I Found Her at its finest.

Eyes On Backwards has its stake among the best albums of the year and for damned good reason. Holloway has honed his craft to a finer degree than his previous albums and his hard work has paid off. The old-school influences, his Skinny Puppy vibe, and his own unique electronic edge have all but made Eyes On Backwards a future classic in the making. 
Nov 08 2016