Album Type : Full Length
Date Released : 5/8/2013
Label : Southern Lord
The Blind Hole, album track listing:
1. Suffer 0:51
2. The Blaring Eye 0:33
3. Swelling 0:20
4. Strength Through Restraint 1:25
5. Idiot Bliss 0:28
6. You Bury Me 1:08
7. Skullbinding 0:19
8. Mask 0:22
9. Cop 1:19
10. No Chain 1:20
11. Will Is The War 2:56
12. Baggar 0:27
13. One More Day 0:52
14. The Pit Of Me 2:07
15. Caged 1:05
16. Starve 0:44
17. Vein 0:36
18. Pitch Black Tomb 1:07
19. The Last Nail 0:30
20. Two Flames 0:43
21. Knife In The Feathers 1:22
22. Halo Crown 3:05
2. The Blaring Eye 0:33
3. Swelling 0:20
4. Strength Through Restraint 1:25
5. Idiot Bliss 0:28
6. You Bury Me 1:08
7. Skullbinding 0:19
8. Mask 0:22
9. Cop 1:19
10. No Chain 1:20
11. Will Is The War 2:56
12. Baggar 0:27
13. One More Day 0:52
14. The Pit Of Me 2:07
15. Caged 1:05
16. Starve 0:44
17. Vein 0:36
18. Pitch Black Tomb 1:07
19. The Last Nail 0:30
20. Two Flames 0:43
21. Knife In The Feathers 1:22
22. Halo Crown 3:05
Bio :
Atlanta’s ultimate killing machine DEAD IN THE DIRT has completed work on The Blind Hole, the faction’s debut full-length recording, and will unload it upon the masses this Summer via Southern Lord.
As witnessed on the trio’s previous works, 2010’s Vold EP and first release for Southern Lord, 2011’s Fear 7”, as well through their vicious on-stage presence, DEAD IN THE DIRT crushes everything in their path with a vehement and volatile crust/hardcore attack. Inspired by the scriptures of His Hero Is Gone, Left For Dead, Infest and DropDead, the faction creates some of the most morose and tonally oppressive music conceivable, all fueled with enraged socio-political lyrical content and straightedge/Vegan ethics.
Now locked for release on August 5th in the UK/EU, The Blind Hole surges with twenty-two tracks in less than twenty-four minutes, their downtuned, caustic riffs packed into the melee creating the most destructive blasting DEAD IN THE DIRT material yet. Though surging with crushing distortion, the album boasts incredibly clear production values, recorded at Bricktop Recording Studio with Andy Nelson (Weekend Nachos) in Chicago this April, and mastered by Brad Boatright (Nails, All Pigs Must Die, Baptists, Sleep). The cover was illustrated by Bo Orr as with the band’s Fear EP.
Following their heavy-touring ethos, including participation in multiple Southern Lord and The Power Of The Riff events over the past two years, DEAD IN THE DIRT will inundate humanity with a full tour in the UK/EU later this year. Tour dates will be announced soon.
Review :
Dead In The Dirt commit their grind noise terror tactics from an Atlanta
Load status = 'spent'.
The first track is called 'Suffer'. It is accurate. That is all.
'Strength Through Restraint' is all slow wail and is maybe as close as a band this deranged and sharp will come to recording a ballad. That's actually a lie. It's aggravated assault on your ears.
'Idiot Bliss' is pure grind debauchery. Enough of a tasty speed / slow mix to really get you going, like when you mix salt and sweet popcorn. It'll be over before I finish writing this sentence. I want some popcorn now too.
'You Bury Me' has a somewhat more hardcore feel to it. Proving that they do have at least SOME attention span, the miniature breakdown in the middle is seriously good. The drumming on this record was possibly recorded by an army of chimps on speed.
'Mask' probably has nothing to do with the seminal 80s cartoon of the same name, but it is packed with vicious riffs that will rip your head off for 20 seconds. I now want to hear a grind cover of the Transformers theme tune.
'Cop' is another grind epic that clocks in at a whopping 79 seconds. Frankly incredible, everything combines here for optimum effect like a brick to the face: the riffs buzz saw, the drums are cataclysmic and the vocals are spewed forth with unquestionable bile and rage. This is some premium grind shit, with a pinch of Converge thrown in for good measure.
'The Pit Of Me' displays an aptitude for some more conventional metal song construction, but it'll still kick you in the junk for calling it clever. You get the feeling that the only thing holding this back is a leash, held by a sadist that is currently sizing up whether or not the mess left of your remains are worth the time spent cleaning up the evidence afterwards or not.
'Starve' is another outright banger, with a more punkish feel to the key riff. Very much grind still though, it collapses right at the end into pure hate. Like undiluted hate in a bottle, poured all over your head.
I fucking love this record, man. Dead In The Dirt are part of this new generation of grinders that if anything are pushing their sound to even further extremes than some of their insane forefathers were in the first place. Southern lord continues to have probably the best year of its existence too. Somebody needs to bake them a really big cake or something. 'The Blind Hole' is another 2013 standout record, and not just in the narrow definition of grind. Its reach is beyond that, and its impact will be felt.
Words by : Matt Fitton
As ever, show your support to the band by checking them out at the various links. You can buy the record here. Thanks to Lauren @ RarelyUnable as ever.
