Produced by Lord Tim
Released: 2005
When Dungeon released their first official album in mid-1999 it was eagerly snapped up by fans who had caught the vibe of killer live performances from the band. Resurrection went through three pressing before being deleted, which isn’t a bad run for a debut album from a band that was barely known even in Sydney at the time. In retrospect, however, it’s really a wonder Dungeon moved any copies of the album at all. Listening back to that original recording, it's became pretty clear that bottom-drawer tape demos and even some early black metal had better production standards. Fortunately, the playing and songwriting saved it from oblivion. That, and the fact that Dungeon was offering something very different from every other band in Sydney at the time.
As part of their international deal with LMP, Dungeon completely re-recorded Resurrection during the sessions for their One Step Beyond album, and the result was a marked improvement in every aspect. Immediately noticeable were some cosmetic changes: new and totally different cover art, the juxtaposition of the tracks “No Way Out” and “Judgment Day” (still spelled wrong) in the running order and the replacement of the Justin Sayers-penned “Let it Go” with a new track called “Severed Ties”. This is a weak point for the album however, as it is perhaps the most generic and boring song Dungeon has recorded since their demo days, a somewhat tired and predictable ballad that could well have been left off altogether.
In all other respects, however, this version of Resurrection is a killer. As mentioned, the first one had the songs and the chops, but this time around the production is there to back it all up. Significantly, the tempo change in “The Legend of Huma” that previously sounded like a bad splice is now much more seamless and the guitar sound is much more balanced. Most of the solos are completely different and the pace seems a little brisker, and overall the whole album sounds so much more alive than the flat, drenched-in-tape-hiss original. “Severed Ties” does let it down, but the consolation is the bonus cover songs.
Dungeon’s choice of covers may raise some eyebrows, but they rule. The first is the John Farnham-era LRB track “Playing to Win” and the second Thin Lizzy’s “Waiting for an Alibi”. Both are handled with Dungeon’s usual aplomb, with “Playing…” receiving a slight thrashing up while the latter is played more or less straight with guitarist Stu Marshall handling the lead vocal duties.
Anyone who missed this the first time should definitely try and grab a copy of this and see why, at their height, Dungeon was one of Australia's best metal bands.
- Death From Above
- Resurrection
- Paradise
- No Way Out
- Wake Up
- Fight
- Severed Ties
- Time to Die
- I Am Death
- Judgment Day
- The Legend of Huma
- Playing to Win
- Waiting For an Alibi
Rating: 88%
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