So, it’s been a minute since the arrival of The Dead Collective, the latest offering by British rock guitarist Oli Brown, who started off his musical journey as a Blues artist, navigating his way through his early teens, picking up accolades at The British Blues Awards as a young, blood-thirsty artist. In his last solo blues studio album, ‘Here I Am’ (2013), he gave a nod to something bigger, gnarlier within his repertoire, that a storm was brewing, and rightly so, we all should have taken heed.
He soon gave birth to Raveneye, a beast of a band that delivered on the highest level, and with that, the blues player that so many had grown to know had transformed into a monster rock artist that could no longer be caged. As with every band, you go on a journey, and Raveneye’s time was short but sweet; sexual tension and Covid played their part, but now we have a more mature, balanced musician who is ready to take the next step in his musical journey, alongside old friend Wayne Proctor and Sam Wood. The Dead Collective was born. We have already been introduced to their music via Prelude (2023), Prologue (2023) and Epilogue (2024), but in 2026 we have their self-titled EP dropping; this I know will be a thing of beauty.
The EP opens up with ‘Cracks’, an ambient slow burner that has you on the edge of your seat with a teasing, cutting guitar line before it softens to lure you into a false sense of security before it crashes into an anthemic burner. Oli’s vocals are glorious as he soars above the riffs; the melodic lines are highly addictive, drawing you deeper and deeper into this majestic tune. There are definite Radiohead vibes here, with a unique twist. Oli’s sublime guitar solo is so perfectly in sync with the vibe; there is no ego here; it’s all beautifully laid out to hit home where it needs to. #jazz #nice
‘Goliath’ follows, and once again you are gently walked into a track that envelopes you like a warm, friendly hug; then, around 2 minutes 9 seconds in, it takes flight. The song explodes with a banging chorus, and you know that you need to keep your wits about you. Once again, it is an earworm of a track that will have you singing along at the top of your voice as your clenched fist is pushed high into the air, before you realise you’re sitting in traffic and look like a madman to some woman in the car next to you. #justsayin
‘Estranged’ took us to the midway point of this short and beautifully sweet EP; it’s a mellow offering, highly melodic and emotive. It is a glorious tune, building to a crescendo and tearing you apart as it does, as the emotions pour out over you, washing the daily grind from your mortal soul. This one is timeless.
Before you know it, you have arrived at the final track on this sublime EP, ‘Falling’. It may be only four tracks long, but in those four tracks, you go on a journey. The Dead Collective push and pull at your emotions through four cutting tracks, tearing apart the very fabric of what you thought you knew about this project. The final track drives home their ambient, highly intelligent songwriting into territory you didn’t know you were ready to go into. Vola-esque levels of gnarly here as the EP wraps up, leaving you battered, bruised, and wondering why you want more. What witchcraft is this?
The Dead Collective have arrived, and their self-titled EP lands like a sledgehammer to the chest. It will leave you breathless, captivated and hungry for more.
The Dead Collective EP arrives this Friday, May 22nd.
Review: Mark ‘N’ Load
The Dead Collective 2026 UK tour comes with support from Anchor Lane https://anchorlanemusic.com/ and an acoustic set from Kim Jennett https://www.kimjennett.net/
Dates are as follows:
Fri 24th April 2026 The Patriot, Crumlin UK
Sat 25th April 2026 The Cobblestones, Bridgewater UK
Sun 26th April 2026 The Junction, Plymouth UK
Wed 29th April 2026 The Attic, Glasgow UK
Thurs 30th April 2026 The Waterloo, Blackpool UK
Fri 1st May 2026 The Flapper, Birmingham UK
Sun 3rd May 2026 Live Rooms, Chester UK
For ticket information please see HERE
The Dead Collective online:
