The Swedish Rockers of DEAD LORD have released four full length albums, the latest one being "Surrender". In the wake of all of that they decided to release an EP with two original songs and four cover tracks. To say that the band tries to have a THIN LIZZY vibe is very clear when you listen to the opening song and title track "Dystopia". It's not a bad song, actually, as it does have that kind of seventies feel, musically as well as production wise. It gives you a good feel of what DEAD LORD stands for.

"Sleeping My Day Away" is originally by D-A-D, a very much underrated band outside of Sweden. This is  a very laid-back sing along song with some nice twin guitars and again, that THIN LIZZY feel to it. Next though is "Ace In The Hole" from the unknown band called WINTERHAWK. As I have never heard the band mentioned I can't really comment on any comparison, but it should suffice if I mention that the rendition on "Dystopia" has that kind of quality that I am starting to expect from DEAD LORD on this EP. The bluesy undertone to the song does give that extra layer to make it extra interesting.

"Hands Down" starts off very intriguing and intrinsic, very much as if this is just played and recorded for the pleasure of the band itself. It's only when we get a little further that the band has decided that everyone is supposed to enjoy the experience. The twin guitars do appear again, but this is a subdued offering, but still really fitting with the rest of "Dystopia". Song number five is a very dangerous one, as RORY GALLAGHER's "Moonchild" is a certified bluesrock classic. Do DEAD LORD do it justice? Well, yes, they do. The reason for it is they don't even try to stay too close to the original. They give it their own treatment, and you do recognise it immediately. This rendition is a lot softer than Rory's and that's a good thing, as well as the band not even attempting to play the guitar the way the great man used to.

The last song on "Dystopia" is "I staden som aldrig slumrar till", and it's a proper one to boot. It's the heaviest song of them all and it again has that definite THIN LIZZY aura around all of it. Again, they don't even try to be them, but they have adopted a few of their traits, as the way the riffs are built and again, the twin guitars. As an EP "Dystopia" is quite alright, but as four of the songs are covers it's really hard to properly rate them. That's why I've stayed in the safe middle area.