Dead Stop "Done With You" CD
[Deranged]
Damn, not bad. Here's some pissed off hardcore/punk from Belgium that sounds like an interesting mix of mid-80's American hardcore. Some of their key influences are listed as Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Negative Approach, and SSD, but I'd say to also throw in some mid-80's NYHC when a little bit of tactful metal aggression started seeping into the riffing, as well as some unexpected bits of west coast melody coming into the guitar playing on rare occasion. There are definitely a lot of straightforward hardcore/punk chord progressions and moderate speeds, but they spice it up enough to get a little darker and more menacing with the variety, all while retaining a recording quality and overall vibe that's totally in line with the 80's style. "All I Can Take" definitely has a little metal in there, the "Endtro" following "Rather be Nothing" hints at a little melodic lead passage, etc. "Dead End Path" is one of the most straightforward tracks, whereas the slower and more ominous "Erase" is the most unique (and powerful) song herein with a lot of dissonant little riffs that plod along nicely. Awesome. "What You Say" opens up with an uncharacteristically melodic riff that has more of a punk rock flavor to it, almost to an out of place degree, but it's over so fast that it's kind of a nice touch. The production is alright by me. Rough around the edges, and dry, but very much in line with a classic sound that bears resemblances to the bands that influenced them, so it works out just fine. The layout's all done in black and white with a couple of band photos and an old school looking ink illustration on the cover. The text in the booklet for the lyrics and stuff is all handwritten and tiny as fuck, so it's kind of a pain in the ass to try to read through everything, but as expected from song titles like "Kiss My Ass", "Dead End Path", etc., the songs are all personal and pull no punches at all, delivering pissed off attacks with a direct stance. I like this. It's not the most powerful or innovative thing I've ever heard, but the shouted vocals have a really unique and sincere anger to 'em and the songwriting is colorful enough to feel like they're not totally rehashing the past, even if they're very clearly rooted in it. "Erase" is a real fuckin' keeper, I'll tell you that much. The record both starts and ends on a damn strong note. Not bad at all. (7/10)
Running time - 22:09, Tracks: 14
[Notable tracks: Kiss My Ass, All I Can Take, Erase, Drag Me Down]
Deranged Records - http://www.derangedrecords.com

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