Thrash band DZ Deathrays are killing it, the Brisbane based band’s Facebook bio states that their band started at a house party and their music totally reflects that.
This two-piece band make as much noise as any band twice their size and when they occasionally include an extra instrument it just adds to the vibe. I love this band and in particular their ‘Black Rat’ album. Released in early 2014 this album has been extremely well received, having won the award for best hard rock/heavy metal release at last years Arias shows that this is a band that Australia is taking notice of. Their last album ‘Bloodstreams’ was a massive one too winning not only an Aria but also an AIR award showing the consistency in their quality of music.
One thing that this band does best is that they can go from fairly mellow to heavy as breakdowns within the space of a verse which not only appeals to a wider range of listeners but may open the door to heavier music for a lot of people who did not previously listen to it.
I’m going to the first three songs off their ‘Black Rat’ release to review.
The first song is the namesake of the album. ‘Black Rat’ opens with one of the catchiest riffs I’ve ever heard, this continues through the song and so does its infectious sound, without even knowing the lyrics you can get fully hooked on it. One you analyze the lyrics is brings another dimension to the song too, being quite a deep song about a past relationship. While the lyrics add meaning to the song they don’t detract from the “fuck yeah” aspect of it and it is still, not only possible, but also difficult not to get into this song.
Having only fairly recently started listening to DZ ‘Gina Works at Hearts’ was the first song of theirs that I ever heard. Once again filled with insanely catchy rock music this song is probably the most well known off the album. While it is catchy and a good song, it just doesn’t stand out to me from amongst the rest of the album like some of the other songs.
‘Less Out of Sync’ is by far my favorite song off of the album. If you could only listen to one DZ song and wanted to get an idea of the band as a whole I think this song would give you a fair idea. With the slow verse and heavy as chorus this song is quintessential DZ Deathrays. As a whole this band fucking rules and that’s pretty much all I can say apart from the usual be sure to check their live shows and buy their music. Oh and if you see them at a show buy them a shot of jager or something. Come back Wednesday for our interview.
※ Chauncey Phillips*
*Chauncey Phillips is the psedunoym of all guest reviewers. This weeks was Lachy Ryan.