Deadkill

Deadkill

Formed by four Seattle scene veterans, Deadkill have graced stages alongside trouser-tenting acts such as OFF!, The Spits, and High On Fire; which perhaps provides insight into the mixed-up style on display here.

If anything, their sound is certainly pliable; a stirring combination of punkish drums, thrash-inspired vocals, and straight-up rock riffs. They undoubtedly have the chops to pull off the solid riffs, but are clearly in need of something to help them stand out from the crowd.

‘Oh God Help You’ sounds like a meaner, nastier version of ‘Motherfucker from Hell’ by long-forgotten hard rock revivalists The Datsuns. On realizing this, I found myself streaming their videos on YouTube and thinking about how underrated they were. Where was I? Oh yeah, Deadkill.

One of the main problems is the lyrical content; woeful to the point of pining for an instrumental track. Serving as a distraction from the high-tempo tunes on offer, the lyrics simply did not resonate with me –indicating that Deadkill are perhaps more suited to the live arena.

The fuck-you riff that keeps ‘5150’ rooted is great, and it wouldn’t sound out of place on ‘St. Anger’, deemed by many as one of the less-salubrious Metallica albums. The intro of "Rip Off" indicates great potential, but quickly begins to feel like an afterthought with the lyrics grating again.

‘Outta My Head’ is brash, no-nonsense garage rock with deft nods to modern purveyors of thrash, Municipal Waste. It’s easily the highlight of the album with singer Brian Krieger bellowing his instructions; the cries of "Stand tall / One and all" somewhat reminiscent of old-school D.C. hardcore.

This debut EP is hardly an exercise in originality, but the potential is there in spades; let’s just hope that with their full-length release, Deadkill can breathe more life into their songs.

#Deadkill #garage rock #Good To Die #Hard Rock #Punk #EP #Rob Batchelor