Review: “Deadwired” by Bodyweb

“We still wanted it to sound very human. It had to be well produced but not cold and lifeless. We didn’t use a click track. All guitars were real amps with microphones. We tried to make everything as real and raw as possible, we recorded using all the same gear we use when playing live too to really capture the energy of how it feels when we jam together.” ~ Louis Hardy, guitars and vocals

The product of late night jams between Louis Hardy (Higher Power, Big Cheese, Fate) and Ben Jones (ex-Pest Control) that eventually found them joined by Peter “pq” Jones (Nihiloxica), Luke Thompson (Stiff Meds), Naomi Macleod (Empire State Bastard) and hardcore archivist Tom Hobson (Dai Tan Films), it is said that Bodyweb was born out of the Leeds Hardcore scene without fear of failure. Instead, seeking catharsis the group self describes as a Nu-Hardcore entity that has the shape-shifting qualities of the T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgement Day and is able to seamlessly move between styles to better suit their mood. Their debut EP “train_wreck_simulation” was all breakdowns, jagged emotions and Nu-Metal swagger, so how does sequel “Deadwired” fare?

90’s break beats and distorted program give life to the lifeless, setting the scene for the bombastic Nu-Metal soaked depth charger that is “no faith“. A beating black heart of pure Hardcore lies within this bloodied corpse, the bands caustic abrasions and programmed elements doing little to hide their true identity. As a track the opener is a big f*** you delivered with the kind of aggression that reminds us of early Vein.fm tunes, the electronics very much integrated into the beast like an insulin monitor in the arm of a diabetic. After that short, sharp shock of a skull rattling opening cut, the bouncy “shadow boxing” brings digital turntable action and crunchy riffs as it goes full throttle down the freeway without a care in the world. A bombastic bassline underpins some clean vocal moments there are some obvious influences from the self titled 1999 self titled Slipknot album as the electronics add the stardust to the abrasive guitars.

Another distinctive throw back to the so called golden era of Nu-Metal “sugarcoated” introduces some grunge style vocal elements to the big chugging riffs as it builds the energy in a kind of mosh, scream and heal way. Something of a guilty pleasure, this one will have you singing along by the second spin, its infectious qualities refusing to let go of the mind like a parasite. Title track “deadwire” has flavours of bands like Cold with an urgency and aggression that that is equally fearfully additive. A melodic bridge with a heavy bassline will have fans swaying like marionettes at the shows, the aching vocals from Hardy threatening to explode into fits of rage fuelled screams but instead fading to black with an eerie sample. Wonderfully nostalgic as well as being very much for now, Bodyweb reserve the right to remain violent when all around them they see nothing but perpetual agony [7.5/10]

Track Listing

1. no faith
2. shadow boxing
3. sugarcoated
4. deadwire

“Deadwired” by Bodyweb is out 5th September 2025 via Flatspot Records