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Deadguy

Jul 21, 2025 By Matthew Berlyant Photography by Matthew Berlyant Web Exclusive

28 years is a long time, but that’s how long it had been since I had seen Deadguy play live until I saw them open for Dillinger Escape Plan on successive nights last year as DEP toured for the 25th anniversary of their landmark 1999 album Calculating Infinity (also recorded by Steve Evetts, who has recorded Deadguy as well). It was an inspired choice, as Deadguy had been a huge influence on Dillinger Escape Plan early on in their career.

Fast forward a year, and Deadguy has just released Near Death Travel Services, their first new material in almost 30 years, and a record that astonishingly feels like no time at all has elapsed between 1995’s classic Fixation on a Co-Worker and the present day. So, to celebrate this joyous occasion, several record release shows were booked in mid-July, with perhaps the most significant one being this “hometown” gig at Crossroads in Garwood, NJ, where they’d played before a few years earlier and where other hardcore punk luminaries like Dag Nasty have also played in recent years. So why did this gig feel more significant than last year’s opening sets here? Well, for starters, Garwood is about 35 minutes from New Brunswick, NJ, where Deadguy formed back in 1993.

As such, as someone who saw them countless times back then while living in New Brunswick and attending Rutgers (I even booked them once in 1995), it felt a lot like a college reunion. There were folks there whom I hadn’t seen in 30 years. But unlike in the old days, everyone is older, more mature, and more appreciative of the fact that we’re all still here, witnessing Deadguy absolute crush it, playing a mixture of new and old songs, culminating with “The Extremist,” my favorite song of theirs, where I was right up front singing along, dodging spin kicks and the like in the pit. Simply put, it felt like a surreal blast from the past, yet it was impossible not to react to the controlled chaos (a righteous mix of hardcore punk, extreme metal, and AmRep style noise-core) emanating from the stage at that very moment.

If I had any complaint at all, and it’s a very minor one, it’s that I was hoping they’d play their cover of Black Flag’s “Police Story,” but alas. Nevertheless, with original material that good, it didn’t matter much as everyone left satisfied. Another interesting thing about this show is that for one or two songs, bassist Jim “Bags” Baglino surrendered his role to Mike DeLorenzo, guitarist of more NYC area hardcore punk bands than you can shake a stick at (most notably, Serpico, CR, Kill Your Idols, and even a stint in Sheer Terror). Both the band and DeLorenzo seemed thrilled to just be up there helping each other out and playing music that they love.