To understand what a musical work means needs some training. To recognize and have a deeper comprehension of what a band is trying to express with its music are features that only time hearing music can create. Anyone must take the ears as judge and jury, and not the eyes, looking for written labels to feel secure. In this sense, the work of the now gone English quartet WOUNDED CROSS needs such maturing to be understood.

In few words, their music can be faced as a mix of aspects from 70's Hard Rock with traditional Heavy Metal melodies and some touches from Doom Metal, but it's not only this. It walks in a way that has many past and present influences as well, but their music has a problem: the vocals could be way better. They aren't fitting as they could, and as the band does not exist anymore, it's a problem that will never be solved. The production isn't fitting as it could. Maybe the band was looking for something organic and in a way that could have a live show outfit. But it could be done in a better way, because it's a bit 'moldy' sometimes, and their music really demands something cleaner and powerful.

As the quartet shows on "Our Future is Dead", their music could evolve in a better shape, and the savage and 'sabbathic' energy of "Shadowplay" (good work on bass guitar and drums), the abrasive energy of "Ascension" and "Ashes" (this one with contrasts between aggressive moments and introspective parts), the nasty and spontaneous heavy rhythm of "Sad Future", and the 70's approach used on the melodies of "Cosmic Annihilation" are the best ones. But the vocals really aren't fitting on the instrumental.

"Our Future is Dead" is a good album, and becomes the testimony that WOUNDED CROSS existed for the generations to come.