Dead Weight - Victim Of Deceit LP

Carrying on my theme from the weekend, here's another recent UK release. Footloose Records, who've featured a few times already on the blog are due to this five-track LP by St Albans hardcore crew Dead Weight, which features three bonus songs from their previous "Cut Loose" EP and three previously unreleased live tracks. This review features the five tracks on the A-side.

Dead Weight formed in 2010 and have been playing all over the place, including supporting Backtrack and Your Demise this year alone! Victim Of Deceit was released in May.

Tracklist:-

1. Falsification
2. Life In Spite
3. Eleventh Hour
4. Nail Bed
5. Iron First.

Dead Weight play massively meaty hardcore. Following bands like Malevolence and Demoraliser, they major of stomp heavy riffs and atmosphere taken from the likes of Machine Head and Shadows Fall. Falsification is their signal of intent and a rousing opener, They ratchet up the intensity on Life In Spite. The vocal tones are lower on Victim Of Deceit, lending Dead Weight a more sinister and violent edge. Very European in style.

The great thing about Dead Weight is that they are still developing as a band. Playing alongside the likes of Backtrack and Your Demise will have done them no harm either. Eleventh Hour contains hints of thrash, which will help them appeal to a bigger cross-section of fans. So will the fact that they don’t solely rely of constant breakdowns. The production on the record lens itself well to their heavy sound, with the bass and guitars meshing together to sound huge. Nail Bed is the aural equivalent of lying on the implement of torture it’s named after. 

Closing with Iron Fist, Dead Weight end on a high note with a mosh-heavy slab of hardcore. There’s just enough melody present in the main riff to get reel you in. The screams of vocalist Sam Hames hit a new level of demented in the mid-section, full of pent up rage and emotion. The extended instrumental section made up of screeching feedback leads into a noise laden ending. It shows experimentation akin to that of Full Of Hell and it’s equally as unnerving.

On this showing, Dead Weight should be perfectly well set to move up the UK hardcore ladder. They’ve got the chops to keep the kids happy, while providing plenty for the jaded hardcore elders to like. Top stuff.

You can stream Victim Of Deceit here:-



It's available as a name-your-price download from Dead Weight's bandcamp page above.

Vinyl copies with the extra tracks can be pre-ordered from Footloose Records here - http://www.footlooserecords.com/store

Dead Weight Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/deadweight
Footloose Records Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Footlooserecords