DEXTERITY’s “Raise The Dead” doesn’t just flirt with emotional intensity – it crashes headlong into it, wielding the full force of alternative rock’s grit and progressive metal’s cerebral weight. The Dublin-based alt-prog outfit has carved a sonic space where angular rhythms, danceable grooves, and melodic dissonance coexist – and in this track, they use all that space to explore something universally raw: grief.

From its opening moments, “Raise The Dead” pulses with unsettling energy – at once immediate and evasive. Funk-tinged guitar riffs snake around an off-kilter rhythm section that feels simultaneously locked-in and on the verge of rupture. Bassist Adrianna Matthews and drummer Alex Rose form a relentless engine, grounding the chaos with groove-forward precision. Meanwhile, guitarists Cian Somers and Nathan O’Maoilearca layer in distortion, tension, and dramatic flair, delivering the “sonic cataclysms” teased in the band’s description.

Rather than following a predictable verse-chorus blueprint, the song meanders, accelerates, and implodes in waves – mirroring the unpredictable emotional cadence of mourning. The prog influence is clear in its complex time signatures and evolving song structure, but everything is kept human, melodic, and relatable.

At its heart, “Raise The Dead” is an internal monologue unraveling in real time. Lead singer Sarah Dexter’s lyrics strike a delicate balance between poetic abstraction and gut-wrenching realism. She captures the splintering stages of grief: numbness, misplaced blame, denial, bargaining, and reluctant acceptance.

Dexter’s vocals are vulnerable and commanding, oscillating between whispered confessions and full-throated desperation. She never sounds polished – and that’s the point. The emotion is visceral, fraying at the edges, much like the “ethereal mask” she sings about. It’s a deeply human depiction of trying to keep it together in a world that keeps moving forward, regardless of your pain.

DEXTERITY thrives in contradiction: their music is both technically complex and emotionally immediate, intricate yet infectious. “Raise The Dead” exemplifies this identity. It’s a track you could analyze for its musical architecture or simply feel in your bones. It’s as much a cathartic cry as it is a rock anthem. Fans of Karnivool, Porcupine Tree, or early Muse will find a lot to admire here.

While the song’s theme of grief is dark, it’s also unifying. In a world where people often feel forced to mask their pain, “Raise The Dead” offer recognition and release.

“Raise The Dead” isn’t just a single – it’s a mission statement. It positions DEXTERITY as a band willing to take risks emotionally and musically, and capable of delivering on both fronts. It’s a song that doesn’t promise healing, but it does offer solidarity.

With this release, DEXTERITY have proven they’re not just pushing genre boundaries – they’re pushing toward something deeply real. Bold, unpredictable, and full of feeling, “Raise The Dead: is a modern alt-prog triumph for anyone who’s ever worn a smile to hide a scream.

In the fractured rhythm of grief, DEXTERITY has found a pulse – and it hits hard.