Don’t call it a comeback, don’t call it a Lazarus. For the old heads, Deadguy are picking up where they left off, spitting in the face of the status quo. For newcomers like me, Deadguy resume ass-beating and situate somewhere between Chat Pile and late-era Agony Scene, Converge and Mugshot (or so I’m told). Wherever they land in your taste, the occasion is very stoke-worthy. After 30 years of incubation, Near-Death Travel Services is by and large a preservation and full showing of Deadguy’s take on hardcore injected with unpredictable motifs. On this sophomore effort, lyrical content shines and is exceptionally comprehensible. Every cliché is un-clichéd by Tim Singer (vocals) thanks to his keen articulation.
“We are the freaks, and we dare to believe there is a place for us in this world, full of narrow lanes” slaps you in the face on “Kill Fee,” the album’s opening track. Singer’s vocals (damn it I love a good pun) are a conduit of fury for everything that I’ve ever wanted to scream about but just haven’t had the gumption. There’s a human behind the voice that contains true vigor and infectious strain. It’s so thorough that it seems like no one has listened to what Singer has had to say for, well, the past 30 years. The double-edged sword he delivers across Near-Death proves sharp. It cuts and reminds us of how timeless injustice and misfortune are, is fortunately the same blade that offers a consolation you’re not alone in it.
Instrumentally, the run time is ravaged by thrash-fueled tremolo riffage (“The Forever People,” “The Long Search for Perfect Timing”) and sprawling Black Sabbath-esque, doomy vibrato (“War With Strangers”). Punk chords (“New Best Friend”) and chopped and screwed rhythms couple with the thrash and doom to yield breakneck compositions. Motifs stop and start at the drop of a dime (“Kill Fee”) but never without confidence and intent. Bass, handled by Jim “Jimmy” Baglino has a welcome seat at the table within the production and compositionally. “New Best Friend” features one of many bass-forward passages, offering textural change without letting up on the high-speed chase pace of the album. Dave Rosenberg drums with the same ferocity and speed circa 1995, all captured in modern fashion to barrage in hi-def. The extra-pingy ride that caught my ear on their earlier work has remained intact, although it doesn’t sound exactly like a Paiste Rude like it did in the past. At any rate, this small detail remained tried, true, and effective in Deadguy’s thrashing hardcore signature.
Fortunately for us, Near-Death Travel Services lives up to the “travel services” part, transporting us back with this timeless iteration. To come back after 30 years of inactivity is not for the faint of heart. It takes guts, gusto, and a purpose. At the end of the day, it seems these New Jerseyans set out to do it for the sake of doing it, allowing them to side step undue pressures. Deadguy fully resurrects the ethos of early hardcore and metalcore, when the subgenres first reared their heads, with flying colors.