Program the Dead

Program the Dead came from out of the blue. I’d never heard of the band or their label (which evidently is backed by a major), nor had I ever heard of their public relations company. Come to find out, there’s a sole reason for such a thing: Program the Dead is not a metal band; Low Altitude is not a metal label; and their public relations company is not exclusive to metal. Either they know I have an open mind about music or they sent this out to anyone and everyone they could find an address for.
So if Program the Dead isn’t metal, then what are they? In my book they’re a very accessible and cool rock band who actually knows how to play more than three chords. I know “accessible” can be a bad word in many peoples dictionary, but it isn’t in mind, so just so you know, I was not listening to this and thinking “this is not metal, thus so not cool.” Oh yeah, back to who and what they are; Program the Dead is picking up the slack from where Incubus, who seem to be missing in action, left off. Don’t do that - don’t close the link just yet. Let me finish what I have to say. I, Mr. Open Mind, really enjoyed what the band had to offer. Not only did they offer me a bit of Incubus, but they also threw in some Elvis Costello and a bit of The Cure, all combining to create an album worthy of your time. Trust me, I’d just assume throw a disc in the corner then to let my ears go thru excruciating pain. You’re following my lead here, so trust me when I tell you I won’t intentionally allow you to put your ears in the same predicament. But yeah, there’s some very cool music on here, like ‘Point of Finger,’ ‘Miss Takes,’ ‘Maybe It’s All True’ and my personal favorite ‘Swimming in a Sea of Media’ which would easily get airplay if the music world was a balanced and fair one. Actually, all the songs wouldn’t be too far removed from airplay – and yes, Program the Dead is that accessible.
I know most in the metal community will pass this up due to its lack of “heavy metal” standings, but would you change your mind a little if I told you Storm Thorgerson (Pink Floyd’s cover artist) created the album cover? I seriously doubt he’d let his name be related to a band making a feeble attempt at creating rock. I’m sure his standards are high, just as well as the band. And so are mine.
Favorite Track: 'Swimming in a Sea of Media.'

-Cameron Gillespie

publish date: June 2006 - MFT Magazine

This is the first album for the Orange County group, with high hopes of trying to awaken the American people's social conscience. Koruba, the lead singer, says "We're a disposable society. Nothing is real... We're afraid of living our lives, because television has damaged us. Americans are intellectually broken. It's my goal to try and wake people up. Wake the fuck up, people. The mainstream media is poisoning you." Program The Dead are trying to debug the American people from the mainstream media. Whether they succeed, or not, is yet to be seen, but it is a hefty undertaking.
Their music is dissonant rock'n'roll with undertones reminiscent of funk, rap/metal and even Motown (if you listen closely to "Swimming In A Sea Of Media") . PTD have talent and ingenuity that is rarely seen in debuting bands. They are obviously not afraid to experiment with different sounds and styles.
***New Album of the Week***

- by John Shelton Ivany
Issue #247
http://www.jsitop21.com/ - The John Shelton Ivany Top 21

Program the dead is a new cool band from L.A fronted by energypackage Matt Koruba with their album produced by Rick Parker of Lions and Ghosts.
The music can be described as melodic modern hard rock with parallels to Josh Todd,Kevin Martin and the Hiwatts and Billy Talent.
It's hard really to label them under one category coz we can find traces of both punk,80's metal,indie and modern rock in PTD's music - they're influenced by different styles such as David Bowie,Led Zeppelin,Guns'n'Roses,Rage Against The Machine and Iggy Pop.
Even if there's a big variety in the songs,the album never feels shattered or uneven - it's in fact quite a solid piece of work.
Their debut is for you who wants something out of the ordinary coz PTD can certainly not be counted as average modern rock!
Loud'n'Dirty - that's the way........

- By Kaj Roth - Melodic.net