Less than a year ago, two friends and I went to see Crazy Arm play a hometown gig in a smallish venue in Plymouth, England. We weren't really au fait with the first band up and were still chatting as they took the stage but the moment they started playing, the three of us were left gawping at each other as locals Dead Poets proceeded to create a ridiculously powerful noise that seemed to reverberate through the whole building in addition to causing hearts to skip a bit. It truly took us all by surprise and whilst we acknowledged it might not be something we'd listen to on a regular basis, at that moment they had blindsided us into the middle of the following week and we stood dumbstruck as we took in the performance.

Ten months or so down the line and Dead Poets have released a five-track EP. While not having the same sonic effect, it does hint at what the live experience of the band is all about: creating a cohesive, thunderous and at times angular noise with yelled/screamed vocals that comes across extremely well as a studio recording, with the guitar displaying both muscular chords and a deftness that almost belies the music and this instrument is certainly a potent element of what makes this band tick. Indeed Dead Poets do a grand job of getting across that intensity that struck the three of us last year on this release and I've actually found myself thinking that I could quite easily see myself listening to this more than a few times.

It's not all about the noise, though, as "That Loaded Question" shows with the use of a more melodic vocal at times to break up the more weighty vocals that are more the norm for the band. With "Our Last Stand" bringing shivers to my spine with its moments of Big Black-inspired musical devastation and "How Should I Put This …" creating a fitting finale full of gusto and spite, Dead Poets have set out into 2012 with a strong contender for a spot in my top ten EPs of the year and the band, alongside others like the more established acts such as Attack! Vipers! and Future of the Left, prove that creative noisemakers are alive and well in the U.K. The lyrics also provide for an interesting read too and display a level of effort that is pleasing to see/hear.

The band provided a download for this review as hard copies were still being waited on with an imminent release due. A canny way of getting me to shell out hard earned money on one of these beauties once they're ready for purchase.