Death of Samantha

Cleveland cult band Death of Samantha wrapped up their five-year run with this excellent swansong LP. While all of their recorded output boasts high-caliber intellectual rock with as much muscle as brain, Come All Ye Faithless proves that the band was still progressing, so much so that they felt the need to break up, regroup, and re-form a few years later as Cobra Verde. Death of Samantha burn like a Midwestern Television with a dirtier, more physical punch. Vocalist John Petkovic has an idiosyncratic snarl that might take getting used to, but once overcome the literary bent of the lyrics emerges and his sneer becomes part of the poetry. Doug Gillard pours out fluid lead guitar melodies that can break into atonal skronk at will without jarring the listener, and the rhythm section of Dave Swanson and Steve-O is tight but loose enough to swing in and out of the beat. There's a debt paid to New York art punk bands like the Voidoids and the Patti Smith Group, as well as fellow Cleveland legends Pere Ubu, but Death of Samantha absorb their influences and rock on their own terms. Cobra Verde and Guided By Voices fans owe it to themselves to track down the records of this seminal band, and Come All Ye Faithless is a fine place to begin. ~ Fred Beldin, All Music Guide