14th June 2025

Review: “Open Season” by Deathblow

In a country that prides itself on free speech, describing your new record as a scathing commentary aimed at the heart of the belligerent American Empire and its war machinery shouldn’t get you in any trouble… Painted in a combination of Thrash and crossover Punk infusions “Open Season” by Salt Lake City, Utah quartet Deathblow is their second record in five years, the four piece clearly fired up by the wrongs they see around them. You might not expect such a politically and socially aware record from a band that takes its name from a fictious film title used in Seinfeld but wonders never cease, do they?

<a href="https://deathblow1.bandcamp.com/album/open-season">Open Season by Deathblow</a>

Imagine a defiant protest song with roots in Celtic Punk and you have the essence of what Deathblow have crated with the opening cut and title track of new EP “Open Season“. Almost inevitably flavours of Municipal Waste immediately rise to the surface during the opening refrains with a little more punk attitude and a little less Pizza than their peers. Once the hard outer shell of the ear candy has been dissolved however flavours of bands like Dropkick Murphy’s are exposed in the chorus. What’s curious about it is that while that shouldn’t work in music theory, the reality is the opposite allowing guitarist and vocalist Holton Grossl to vent his spleen without remorse or regrets. A tasteful solo from Adam Kelly in the final third is an adrenaline rush before the floor opens up for “Deny, Defend, Dispose” with bassist Paul LaChica getting a bass solo in before the first verse. A short, sharp Thrash attack with barbed lyrics this one continues the tirade, refusing to be silenced. If the halls of power want to dispose of the evidence of their crimes against humanity, someone needs to step up to the plate and expose the lies.

The first real earworm riff comes into focus with “Tormentor“, a powerplay in Pizza Thrash with a blistering solo and some surprise almost gang chanted backing vocals. It’s a fine example of a cut that could happily go around another verse and chorus with Grossl giving the title of the track a high pitched wail in tribute to those who went before him. As if to prove a point, a second earworm riff flies from the fretboards as “Never Again” climbs from the grave, the title the promise that the corrupt politicians and corporate giants will not be trusted ever again because we know what they’ve done. A whammy bar drop solo in the final third screams out of the amplifier like a missile from a jet fighter and before you know it, the target has been wiped from the face of the earth. While other bands might use shock and awe tactics to get their point across, Deathblow stick to more traditional methods and the result is a record that could have been released at any point since 1983 without anyone batting an eyelid [7.5/10]

Track Listing