Aussie noise-rockers Dead first crossed the pond in 2013, when their Idiots album was picked up domestically by Portland’s Eolian Empire. They played a buncha dates in the States (albeit none in Canada) afterwards, and have since put out a few splits, EPs and such, as noise-rock bands tend to do.
The duo recorded this full-length in L.A. with Melvins mixer Toshi Kasai and longtime Melvins bassist Kevin Rutmanis playing on several tracks… so if you’re expecting it to sound sorta like the Melvins or Big Business, well, you won’t be disappointed. Following a brief instrumental intro, “Fingers As Arrows” crashes and bangs much like the latter, with the vocals even reminding me of Jared Warren, before taking a slowed-down, doomy turn around the three-minute mark that hits like a ton of bricks. “Chartreuse Blew” injects a bit more groove, not unlike a Melvins number, with a full barrage of stop-start riffage.
There are a few trademark noise-rock tongue-in-cheek song titles to be found here. “Where’s My Gold Star?” is a vocal-driven greasy glob of grunge, containing the trance-like refrain of “With poison,” which is repeated several times. “Don’t Skimp on the Change” is a down ‘n dirty stomper with a haunting vocal that goes nowhere fast, ambling along like a rather menacing tortoise. “To Hell With Me” is a mix between a military march and a washing machine, a three-minute instrumental track that gets set to “spin” briefly around it’s halfway mark. Still waiting for that rinse cycle, though…
haemorrhagerecords.bigcartel.com/product/hmg004-dead-we-won-t-let-you-sleep
