Dead Skeletons (Iceland) came into being in 2008 as an accompaniment to an installation for a show at the Reykjavik art museum by Jón Sæmundur (Dead/Brian Jones Town Massacre).
Looking for a spiritual battle hymn for the show, Jón began recording with Henrik Björnsson (Singapore Sling/Brian Jones Town Massacre) and Ryan Van Kriedt (Asteriod #4). This initial song, Dead Mantra, became an underground hit, prompting the full length lp Dead Magick (A Records), released by the band in 2011. They have now put a live performance act together to tour internationally, beginning in spring 2012.
"From the opening drones, distorted organs and guitars wobbling from the effects of heavy-duty tremolo, 'Dead Mantra' is battle of life winning over death and the sonic palette that colours the struggle between fight and surrender is consistent throughout. In the middle of this hypnotic maelstrom come the otherwordly vocals. Bathed in echo and reverb, they attempt to find their way from a spiritual battleground that suggests a strange ambiguity over whether the desire for life can keep mortality away for just that bit longer.
'Dead Magick I' is the sound of Suicide transported to some infernal version of the Kit Kat Club as electronic pulses and throbs collide with off-kilter piano as elsewhere, most notably on 'Lifðu!/Live!', relentless motorik beats keep up the breathless sense of momentum. But there are more subtle moments here too. 'Om Mani Peme Hung' sees guitar lines crossing sequencers like warning shots across a ship's bow and in doing so offers more textures than would be imagined and with a total running time of 72 minutes, Dead Skeletons are masters of creating pace and drama. It's a long ride for sure but then again, reaching for the stars has hardly ever been a soft option." (The Quietus)
