When hard rock/metal act Dymytry released its domestic debut, Revolt in 2022, the record proved to be a potential breakout for the band, which calls the Czech Republic home. Now almost two years after its release, the band has continued to build its place in the metal community with that record’s follow-up (and second domestic release), Five Angry Men. What is actually the band’s eighth overall album – Revolt was actually a re-issue of the band album, Revolter, which was released in its home nation in 2019 – this latest offering from the band is sure to garner the band even more fame among American audiences thanks to its musical and lyrical content. The trio of singles already turned out by the album make that clear. They are only a snapshot of what the album has to offer. There are plenty of other notable additions to the 10-song record that make that clear, not the least of which is the uplifting ‘Legends Never Die.’ This song will be examined shortly. ‘In Death We Trust,’ which comes later in the album’s 40-minute run, is another example of what the record has to offer. It will be discussed a little later. ‘The Revenant,’ the album’s penultimate entry, is one more example of how the record’s overall content makes it interesting. It will also be examined later. Each of these noted songs does its own part to make Five Angry Men worth hearing. When they are considered along with the record’s trio of singles and the rest of the album’s entries, the whole makes Five Angry Men another strong, welcome addition to this year’s field of new hard rock and metal albums.
Five Angry Men, the second domestic album from Dymytry, is a solid new offering from the veteran hard rock/metal act. Its already existing singles make that clear through their musical and lyrical content. They are only some of the songs that show how much the album has to offer, as each of its songs show. Among the other notable entries in Dymytry’s new album is the early entry, ‘Legends Never Die.’ The song’s musical arrangement is largely everything that audiences have come to expect from the band. It opens with a melancholy piano line and the subtle vocals of front man Alen Ljubic. As the song progresses, listeners can easily sense the building energy that leads into the much more melodic hard rock style choruses that are so common in quite a number of popular bands’ compositions today. As a matter of fact, that dichotomy of the more subtle verses and more powerful choruses (and the very overall sound and style) makes this song’s arrangement easily comparable to works from the likes of The Veer Union and quite a few more acts. At the same time it still manages to maintain its own identity, making it all the more engaging and entertaining.
The emotional depth of the song’s musical arrangement partners well with that of the song’s lyrical theme, which at least in this critic’s ears and mind, is an uplifting message of perseverance. The seeming theme is inferred right from the song’s lead chorus and verse (this is one of those cases where a band inverts the typical formula, opting to lead with the chorus instead of the verse), which find Ljubic singing, “Legends never die/When the world is calling you/Can you hear them screaming out your name/Legends never die/They become a part of you/Every time you bleed for reaching greatness/Relentless, you survive/They never lose hope when everything’s cold/And the fighting’s near/It’s deep in their bones/They’ll run into smoke/When the fire is fierce/Oh, pick yourself up/’Cause/Legends never die/When the world is calling you/Can you hear them screaming out your name/Legends never die/They become a part of you/Every time you bleed for reaching greatness/Legends never die.” This is a pretty straight forward way of saying to listeners that they can be legends. Yes, legends do great things, but it is a reminder that listeners can do great things; maybe not run in to fires, etc. but great things maybe in other ways. The song reminds listeners to “Pick yourself up/’Cause legends never die.’ This is a message that is certain to resonate with listeners because of its accessible delivery and its original wording. The mood that it sets and the mood set through the companion musical arrangement makes the song in whole a composition that is just as memorable as the album’s singles and its other entries.
It is just one song that makes the album engaging and entertaining, too. ‘In Death We Trust,’ which comes later in the album’s run, is notable in its own right. According to information provided about the album, this song centers on one Robert Oppenheimer. The information states of the song’s lyrical content that it focuses on the “destructive impact” of the atomic bomb. Yes, it is likely coincidence that the band’s new album has a song about Robert Oppenheimer at the same time that it continues to make headlines during the annual cinema awards season. Ljubic sings here in what almost comes across as a warning about the use of atomic power, “We paid the price/We’ll turn to dust/ In death we trust/It’s the final blow/This is the end.” Humans have paid the price ever since the birth of the atomic age, and the band is warning that we will continue to pay the price because we essentially trust in warfare. In death. It is another interesting way in which the band has taken on a familiar topic that is certain to interest audiences.
The unique way in which the band has taken on a familiar topic is just part of what makes the song stand out. Its musical content adds to its presentation, too. The musical side of this song stands out through the contrast of the heavier, “thrashier” verses and the equally heavy but more melodic choruses. The placement of each actually works surprisingly well in that the more forceful verses serve to help illustrate the warning that the song’s lyrics deliver while the more melodic choruses are something of a more melancholic mood as the band reminds listeners of where humans have been and where they are going with the nonstop development of nuclear and other power. The two sides make the song in whole another key addition to the album.
‘The Revenant,’ the album’s penultimate entry is one more key addition to the record. This song’s musical arrangement sits at its base, what with its contemplative nature and sound. To a point, there is something of a Five Finger Death Punch sort of approach and sound here. The emotional heaviness created through the instrumentation and its production makes for such a rich, impacting presentation that listeners will certainly enjoy.
The brooding nature of the song’s arrangement works well with its lyrical content, which uses both definitions of the song’s title for its metaphorical story. The song’s subject sings here, “I’m the ghost among the living/Empty, hollow/Empty soul/Shattered/Broken/Unforgiving/I am sitting in this hole/Rise from the dead my dear/I will be waiting for you/Let the sun rays touch your skin/Forever I’ll be waiting/I’m the one they call the revenant/All alone/I am my only friend/I’m the one they call the revenant/When the darkness falls and the reaper calls/It’s time to bring me back to life.” This lead verse and chorus is more about someone being alone, feeling dead. Not actually being dead. So knowing the term “revenant” means both one who comes back from the dead and one who comes back after being away a long time, both of those definitions work here in an interesting fashion. He continues in the song’s second verse, “From the ashes like a phoenix/I will rise above my fate…I’ll no longer hesitate/Rise from the dead my dear/I will be waiting here/Let the sun rays touch your skin/Forever I’ll be waiting.” There is one line here that is difficult to decipher sans lyrics to reference, but the message is clear. It is someone who is still in that difficult emotional place but still manages to overcome the negative thoughts and emotions “like a phoenix.” The mood set here through these words and the emotional depth of the song’s musical arrangement is certain to resonate with listeners considering it is a scenario in which plenty of audiences have found themselves at one point or another. Keeping that in mind, it makes clear why this song is just as important to the album as the record’s singles and its other entries. All things considered the whole makes obvious why Five Angry Men is such a strong new offering from Dymytry that any hard rock and metal fan should hear at least once.
Five Angry Men, the latest album from Dymytry, is a strong new offering from the veteran hard rock/metal outfit. The band’s eighth album (and only its second domestic release), it succeeds through its musical and lyrical content, as the songs examined here prove. When the songs examined here are considered along with the album’s equally impressive singles and with the rest of the record’s songs, the whole makes Five Angry Men another welcome early addition to this year’s field of new hard rock and metal albums.
Five Angry Men is available now through AFM Records. More information on the album is available along with all of Dymytry’s latest news at:
Website: https://dymytry.cz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dymytrycz
