Labels: Land Of Treason
Review by: Andy Malcolm
Army of Flying Robots groupies – buy this record! There is a picture of Si and Henry Monkey on the inside of this lush gatefold production, looking on as the singer of Dead Inside (Bloody Kev) goes crowd surfing. It’s your lucky day kids!
Everyone else – buy this record! It’s fucking great. 4 songs committed to a piece of wax so heavy, you could probably beat Geoff Capes in an arm-wrestle should you prove tuff enuff to wrestle it from it’s sleeve and onto your turntable. And when you do summon the strength, get ready for some action! Dead Inside play crunchy, abrasive hardcore in the vein of early Gravity bands. Harsh vocals and discordant, mid-paced rumbles earn them favourable comparisons to rocking bands like Heroin and John Henry West, or to score you even more “obscure’ points – Pittsburgh band, Pressgang (they kill! get their 7″ on SelfServ & Bloodlink!!!). Vocals are snarled and spat out with supreme anger (even a spot of “talking’ on opener “Airtight”), with the secret melodies keeping the toes tapping and the head bobbing, such as on “Torn Together”, with a kick ass finale that reminds of Yaphet Kotto (especially in the sung backup shouts of “Closer”. Whilst “Dead From The Inside” blasts out in an extreme John Henry West / Mike Kirsch fashion. Fuck, each song is crammed full of energetic riffage and a subtle hint of chaos that really makes them stand out from other bands that plough a more straight forward furrow.
No question, my favourite band in the UK based on record. I just wish they’d stop pulling out of live shows that I go a long to see. Bastards.