Take 92 Music – 14 Jun 2022
They’re not fucking around.
Dead Fucking Serious aren’t joking. It’s right there in the name. If you haven’t heard their previous music (shame on you), you’ll catch on right quick that this band is angry, and they aren’t going to take it anymore.
DFS continues their hardcore assault on society’s ills and complacency on their newest release KLANDEMIC*. The album doesn’t change course as much as it continues the refinement of what DFS does. It is stupidly fast, noisy, and the kind of thing most parents most definitely won’t like. So it is good, fun stuff!
KLANDEMIC clocks in at thirteen tracks and, by my math, just under 16 minutes. You could fit the entire album into two plays of the studio version of “November Rain” and still have room to spare. What is more surprising is that the lead track, “Panicdote”, is itself 4m38s long, so you can guess how damn quickly those other tracks play out.
“Panicdote”, which also features Sick Of It All‘s Lou Koller and Efram Schultz (Death By Stereo) on guest vocals, is surprisingly long for a DFS song, but not any less powerful and effective for it. Due to it’s length, the structure actually feels more routine in structure than most of the band’s songs, but a breakdown in the middle and the unflinchingly rapid percussion keep you on your toes. I love that many of DFS’ songs are such “smash and grab” style affairs but, I’m not going to lie, if they can write more, longer compositions like this in the future, I won’t say no to it.
From here we lead into a run of mostly sub-one minute songs, spearheaded by “Take The Edge Off.” This songs spends its first half in a low-tempo musical intro which is catchy, before diving into the action. “Pride”, “Bitter Pill”, and more shoot past you quickly, the only thing separating them is that brief silence between tracks (more on that later).
There isn’t much different about “Sinker”, but the song evokes an early 80s punk style with the guitar. bass, and percussion working, and sounding so good together. A couple of breaks lead to what I suspect (but may be wrong), is a clever fake out. Unless you are paying attention to when it goes from here to the next track, “Death Knell”, or were paying attention when “Death Knell” was a pre-release single, you may be fooled into not knowing when one stops and the other starts. The intro to “Death Knell” leads into what feels like a final scream, you’d be forgiven for thinking that was the actual end to “Sinker”. It’s such a fun transition that, even when I know it is there, it still gets me every time.
Closing track “New Normal” is anything but normal. Featuring guest vocals from Evan Vaught (Streetlight Cardiacs), the song is less of a “this is how things are going to be now” and more of a testament that the new normal of our lives is simply humanity’s rapidly accelerated path towards self-inflicted extinction. Like I said above: Good, fun stuff!
Due to life’s obligations, a guest drummer was brought on board to record the album (and a different one for the original demos, too). But DFS doesn’t miss a (haha) beat. The core of this group would be singer/songwriter/guitarist Sammy Warmhands and, under his direction, DFS continues to shine. This is likely their best-sounding album from my perspective, and is a huge contender for favorite overall after 2017’s Squalor.
As much as *I* like this album, as a reviewer and observer of music, I can see where some people might find faults. Ignoring anyone who doesn’t like punk rock in general, DFS trucks in a style of hardcore that might be a bit too fast and too furious for the likes of everyone. It may not take a trained ear to appreciate the nuances of all of these songs, but even I sometimes feel the shorter ones blending together. They are over and done with so quickly that the something like an audiology version of “blink and you’ll miss it” could certainly apply. Also, Sammy is angry. Like, all of the time. His sound is that of someone often yelling. A lot. When he’s not yelling, he has a gravel of emotion in what he is relaying that belies his anger and frustrations with the world and society around us. If you appreciate only melodious vocals, then a Dead Fucking Serious album is likely not going to be your cup of tea. But if you feel that DFS’ means of presenting vexation and grievance with, (waves hands around) everything, will help get you riled up, this is definitely up your alley.
*written as “klandemic.” on the cover, but referred to as “KLANDEMIC”, all caps, everywhere else.
the white drew carey (aka – Jeff Sorley) is the founder and head editor of TGEFM. He’s lived (outside of) Chicago, Madison WI, (ugh) Penn State, Lyon FR, Oxford UK, central New Jersey, and now within earshot of SFO in the Bay Area. When not scouring the web for more great bands and labels to post about, he also spends time drawing (mostly) silly sci-fi and anime stuff under the name Asplenia Studios.
