Call them what you want: mini albums or 12-inch singles with a few extras. Either way, Oli Brown & The Dead Collective made the EP sexy again with last year’s Prelude and Prologue. The third in the series Epilogue completes the hat-trick.
Oli Brown & The Dead Collective – Epilogue
Release Date: 29 March 2024
Words: Brian Boyle
If Oli Brown remains one of British rock’s unsung cult heroes for the rest of his career, it will be an absolute travesty.
The fact that his previous band, RavenEye, didn’t push on after the release of their sublime debut album, Nova, is a bloody head-scratcher. Having secured major tour support slots with big guns like Kiss, Aerosmith and Deep Purple just makes it all the more regrettable.
But Mr Brown is a resourceful fella and a grafter. His successful dive into the jewellery world with the very impressive Black Feather Design has allowed him and The Dead Collective to operate at a healthy level.
Like all his previous musical endeavours, Brown’s music gets deep into your system right from the first knockings. Opener Another Day Lost (Solitude Sessions) has a huge arresting effect.
The dusky tones tap deep into your imagination, like you are setting upon a journey up a lonely highway straight into the evening sun. Putting it mildly, it’s a stunning composition that you’ll struggle to grow tired of.
With a harmonious blend of gospel and blues, I Won’t Leave is a bit of a bittersweet listen. This is not dissing the song. It’s so good it should be included in a music school curriculum.
But there is a sense of injustice in knowing that if it was put in the hands of a more commercially viable artist, it would reside in the upper echelons of most mainstream charts.
Either way, you won’t hear a better version than this, and the stunning guitar crescendo will stop you dead in your tracks.
And the same, if not more, plaudits should be cast in the direction of the simply stunning Home Sweet Home. The early chimes set you up for something along the sombre route, but a loud clatter of guitar announces something different – A near eight minutes of honest felt lyrics and moving melody.
If music was to end tomorrow and this was the last song, what a way to go out.
If the opening track didn’t tickle your fancy, you get another stab at it with a souped-up electric version that nearly makes you forget you heard the other one in the first place. Definitely a case of so good he sang it twice.
With a debut long player due before the end of the year, the quality of this little bundle suggests we’re in for a real treat.
