7th October 2024

Review: “Deadman” by Distorta

A band with roots that go all the way back to 2016 but who didn’t commit to tape until 2023 EP “Devil in the Dust” surfaced via WormHoleDeath Records, to see Distorta striking while the metaphorical iron is hot with a sophomore record is a thing of beauty. For those not in the know, the band comprise James Bogers and Dom Davey on guitars, former Bad Karma bassist Dave Prodanovic, Chris Hanrahan on drums and Dmitry Keremetskiy on vocals. Hailing from Ballarat Australia, the five piece have been fusing together elements of Groove, Death, Power and Thrash Metal for s***s and giggles while keeping things strictly DIY or DIE in the studio…

A shout of “FBI Open Up!” before the riffs of “Deadman” get started will crack a smile long before the scream-a-long chorus of “Deadman walking, karma stalking!” rears its ugly head. It may not be as polished as it could be but the record is far from a demo, the drum sound the only thing that suffers in the mix with a few flat sounding cymbal hits. As opening cuts go, this one has power and presence, setting the tone with musicianship that speaks louder than words. Clean vocals surface during the chorus of “Long Way” making it easy to see why some may have labelled the band as Metalcore merchants. In some respects they are reminiscent of early works of bands like Caliban with harsh unclean vocals and Melodic Death Metal vibes, a blistering solo on this one in particular a stand out moment. You can hear the influence of early 2000’s Groove Metal bands in the stylings of “The Reaper“, the harsh vocals from Keremetskiy the heaviest element as he roars “somebody save me!” from the roof tops. Another tune clearly devised to get your to sing-a-long when the band take it to the stage, it also doesn’t sell its soul to the devil in doing so. Good old fashioned fun that dispenses with some of the complications, it’s the perfect accompaniment to a few beers. There is a Marylin Manson style drum pattern to “Deafening Sins” which stands out like a sore thumb (in a good way), the band bouncing around riffs which fly in all directions. The buried solo could use bringing forward in the mix because it gets a little lost but otherwise its another stand out. Given the current climate “When The War Is Over” feels like an oxymoron but never the less, this one flips the script to take a more personal route to remain. It’s not quite introspective but the lyrical narrative is dark enough to carry through with hints at Traditional Heavy Metal as harsh and clean vocal parts collide in the chorus… [7/10]

Track Listing