Dennis MacKenzie
The Guardian Angel Platoon
(Independent)
4.5/5
Dennis MacKenzie is a Canadian veteran who has used musical therapy to cope with the trauma of being deployed in Afghanistan. Through the folk/rock songs on this album, MacKenzie tells the story of how his regiment lost 10 people—six in a single day. MacKenzie lost three of his roommates in Afghanistan, but he lost even more friends and colleagues to suicide after returning home to Canada. The Guardian Angel Platoon aims to destigmatize the conversation surrounding veteran suicide and shed light on those who lost the continued war after returning home.
The album progresses chronologically through MacKenzie’s journey as a soldier, and includes three spoken letters he wrote during his service. These letters offer new meaning to the songs they accompany and help effectively illustrate the mindset of a traumatized veteran.
The lyrics are a beautiful eulogy to those who have been lost, and the music, although melancholy and melodic, is breathtakingly captivating and engaging. Each song tells its own story, and each story comes together to form a powerful and moving memoir.