Drums of Death - Generation Hexed

Colin Bailey a.k.a. Drums of Death has been antagonising crowds across the globe for the last two years with his frantic electronic live shows, sharing the stage with Peaches and Hot Chip on US tours. He even co –wrote the title track for Peaches’ latest album, I Feel Cream. With the release of his debut album, Generation Hexed, the voodoo face paint wearing villain looks set to reach an even wider audience.

The London based Scotsman opens proceedings with Karaoke, an ambient fusion of harmonised vocals and minimalist keyboards that slowly builds with the assistance of delicate synths until the track simply disperses into the twisted electro funk of follow up track Science and Reason. This is when the album really kicks into gear. A stomping electro beat is driven by Bailey’s haunting baritone vocals as he chants: “You put the magic into me.” Science and Reason is a nostalgic ode to the 90s dance music that inspired it. There is even a cow bell thrown in for good measure and, strangely enough, it works.

Acid house and golden era rave music is then fused together on the album’s highlight Won’t Be Long. Hedonistic tumbling pianos provide the tension before the track explodes into the kind of anthem that dominated warehouses a couple of decades ago. This track easily matches anything on The Prodigy’s Invaders Must Die album in terms of its ability to induce dance floor hysteria. Lonely Days keeps the party going as Bailey demands, “Give it out, ‘til there’s none of you left” over a menacing bassline, quickstep beat and pounding keys.

Just as it seems that Generation Hexed is rapidly becoming a floor filler album, the menacing intergalactic instrumental Creak breaks up things nicely with space invader style samples and a Daft Punk inspired beat.

Twisted love song Everything all at Once, which depicts lovers deploying petrol bombs and terrorising the streets at night, proves that Bailey can comfortably execute a futuristic r ‘n’ b ballad. Modern Age is a nice off beat electro punk call to arms complete with splashing cymbals, lasers and all.

London Teeth opens with a camp emotronic intro that is not a million miles away from fellow Scotsman Hudson Mohawke, but then Bailey delivers a death blow by launching into atmospheric electro that could have been written by Hot Chip if they had just embarked on a senseless killing spree.

Generation Hexed delivers on the hype that Bailey created with his 2009 single Got Yr Thing. There is a diverse selection of treats on offer and proof that Bailey can comfortably create dark love songs and all out rave anthems. Now, when legions of followers go positively spastic at his energetic live shows, they will actually be able to sing along to more than one song. The only complaint is that, at forty one minutes long, the album doesn’t seem nearly long enough.