Antabus
Crushing On
8 19
Bitch On The...
Wither Sith
-
The
XL t-shirt is jet black. The big white lettering adorning the front proclaims
‘Deadwood’ alongside a mystical rune with ‘Swedish Death
Industrial’ in smaller letters underneath. On the back is an even
bigger rune incorporating the numerals 666. The excellent quality of material
has survived many washes whilst retaining its shape. I’ve been wearing
it for weeks. A mobile promotional tool for an artist whose debut I had
yet to actually hear. Which seems strange. The fact is that due to many
problems with manufacturing "8 19" (…which any labels
bosses reading this will have great empathy over…) was delayed.
T-shirt out on time. CD not so lucky. Those are the breaks. If nothing
else it built up a rising anticipation, with the appetite fully whetted,
for hopefully another quality Cold Spring release.
Deadwood is a one man project dating from 2003 who had previously recorded
and released a split tape under the name Deadwood Murder. Changing to
the more easily digested (who knows why) name Deadwood he finally found
a label willing to release his 6 track Death Power Muscle Industrial music
‘8 19’. The nth wave to enter the fray intent on atonal destruction.
Deadwood to his credit takes a slightly different approach to this style
of music. Not for him the blitzkrieg approach of repeating endless soulless
dirges of harsh noise and fluctuating frequencies which now seem so passé
and stale. Instead he is far more astute to fall into those overplayed
ploys. Although utilising lumbering behemoths of grisly harsh effects
he tempers the sound with quiet electronic effects reminiscent of classic
distorted cold ambience and pulsing beat patterns chiselled from the rock
hard distortions creating a far more atmospheric recording than was first
expected. These continual changes in diver sity and pace, sometimes within
the same track, greatly enhance the "8 19" experience. Added
to which is the vocals which sound ominously akin to a cross between speed
metal Neanderthal grunts, whispers and screams and an alien dialect. The
words being totally indecipherable to the ear. The resources of the power
of imagination being called upon to make your own interpretations.
You would be wrong therefore to assume that "8 19" is ‘just
another boring noise recording’. The sum of its parts go so much
deeper than that. The sheer inventiveness encountered in "8 19"
is a refreshing change from the usual gut wrenching cacophony associated
with this music. There’s a myriad of surprises to be found on "8
19" which are just waiting to be uncovered by the discernable listener.
Now
when anyone asks what my t-shirt means I can honestly reply…'Deadwood’s
a classic Death / Power Industrial act who’s just released a 60
minute fucking stomper of a recording called "8 19". Give it
a try. You’ll be justifiably impressed'.
ANM