Generation Hexed is the debut studio album of Scottish electronic musician Drums of Death.
Composition Generation Hexed is a rave synthpop album; while it does it have elements from a variety of genres such as disco, its influences mostly stem from 1990s dance music.
The Line of Best Fit critic Steve Lampiris noted the album's undertone of nostalgia for video games, dance and gothic scene music of the 1980s.Lampiris, Steve (21 September 2010). "Drums of Death – Generation Hexed". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 7 November 2016. "Creak" has a synth riff in the style of a Castlevania game, while "Everything All At Once"'s "spiraling" synthesizer line has a similar feel to The Legend of Zelda. Lampiris described "London Teeth" as a more industrial version of a track from Depeche Mode's Violator (1990), and analogized "Modern Age"'s instrumental as one of the early songs by singer Kylie Minogue. Generation Hexed also takes influence from modern pop as well, one example being "Karaoke", a track which opens the record. The song only consists of a hymnal-esque vocal section and "minimal keyboard chimes," giving it a primitive Animal Collective-style vibe, writes Lampiris.
Critical reception
Generation Hexed holds an aggregate 6.4 out of ten on the website AnyDecentMusic? based on nine reviews."Generation Hexed by Drums of Death". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 8 November 2016. Clash magazine's Joe Gamp described Generation Hexed as "fresh, organic and from the heart," writing that "there’s something here for all as he experiments with the pop mould."Gamp, Joe (21 September 2010). "Drums Of Death – Generation Hexed". Clash. Music Republic Ltd. Retrieved 7 November 2016. Adam Johns of Drowned in Sound honored the record for how "expertly" the tracks were crafted: "The song structures here are expertly crafted and demonstrate an individual who’s not content just to make tracks. And this discontentedness has resulted in some serious bangers."Johns, Adam (20 September 2010). "Album Review: Drums Of Death – Generation Hexed" . Drowned in Sound. Silentway. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
Lampiris called Generation Hexed a "stellar disc" for fans of rave music, but felt the influences were too evident on most of the tracks: "For album number two Bailey should embrace the idea that wearing your influences on your sleeve only works for so long before it’s called a rip-off." musicOMH wrote that the album had "everything expected of a dance record," but also wrote that it didn't bring anything new to dance music.Raymond, Max (20 September 2010). "Drums Of Death – Generation Hexed". musicOMH. Retrieved 7 November 2016. A State magazine reviewer found the record to be "slightly lacking" for those who enjoyed Drums of Death's live performances. He wrote that it "promises much but can’t quite deliver" given that it's "more a clubnight adventure than a sit-down and listen album." Resident Advisor praised the instrumentals, but felt the LP was lacking in vocal parts and wasn't "excellent" due to this: "Pop music (on anyone's terms) is nothing without a vocalist."L. Burns, Todd (9 September 2010). "Drums of Death – Generation Hexed". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 7 November 2016. In contrast, a Fact magazine reviewer felt the vocal parts were unsuitable with the instrumentals on tracks such as "Along these Plains," "Modern Age, "and "Lonely Days."Ottewill, Jim (7 October 2010). "Drums of Death: Generation Hexed". Fact. The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
In a mixed review, BBC Music criticized the album for being "derivative" of other acts, most prominently LCD Soundsystem: "There are moments [...] when it’s possible to imagine a much better Drums of Death album than this. In its present incarnation, though, Bailey’s freshman effort is distant from that ideal."Power, Chris (2010). "Drums of Death Generation Hexed Review". BBC Music. Retrieved 7 November 2016. Alastair Thompson of Contactmusic.com heavily panned Generation Hexed mainly for Bailey's lead vocal performance, writing that he should've hired guest performers: "'Karaoke' couldn't have been more apt for a man with a voice flatter than Simon Cowell's head with an encyclopaedia on it."Thompson, Alastair (15 September 2010). "Drums Of Death – Generation Hexed Album Review". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
Release history RegionDateFormat(s)LabelUnited Kingdom23 August 2010"Drums of Death’s Generation Hexed: details inside". Fact. The Vinyl Factory. 1 July 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2016.Greco-RomanSeptember 2010
References