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Aug 01, 2025 Web Exclusive By Matthew Berlyant

For the uninitiated, Deadguy formed in 1993 with just a handful of goals. They were, in no particular order, to crush everything in their path and subvert the expectations of their and my own native New Brunswick, NJ, hardcore scene, damage eardrums, and leave audiences speechless. In just four short years in their original run (only two with most of the now “classic” lineup that is mostly reconvened here), they accomplished all of that and more than they could’ve possibly known. But that is the hindsight of time. After their breakup, other pioneering metalcore bands such as Botch and especially fellow New Jersey native Dillinger Escape Plan took the mantle handed down by Deadguy and pushed it even further into extremity in the late ’90s and early ’00s, thus birthing what is commonly known as “mathcore” now.

All of that aside, though, this is only Deadguy’s second full-length album and first in 30 years. The band was dormant for more than two decades until, spurred by being together in the same room for the documentary (Deadguy: Killing Music), they reunited in 2021 to play Fixation on a Co-Worker in full at that year’s Decibel Metal and Beer Fest in Philadelphia. This became a live album (the cheekily titled Buyer’s Remorse, a sign that their sense of humor, a long-overlooked aspect of the band, was fully intact) in 2022, and that led to this, their first new music since 1996.

As such, it shockingly and thrillingly picks up almost EXACTLY where 1995’s Fixation on a Co-Worker (their only other album with both original vocalist Tim Singer and crucial guitar hero Keith Huckins) left off, with later bassist Jim “Bags” Baglino (also of the overlooked ’90s New Jersey death metal band Human Remains) filling in capably for former bassist and vocalist Tim “Pops” Naumann here and in their recent reunion-era shows as well. Everything that made this band great is here. The feeling here is of pure dark, angry desperation, with audible nods to Slip It In-era Black Flag on the first song “Kill Fee” and to early ’90s noise-rock progenitors (and longtime influences/contemporaries) Unsane and Today is the Day on most of the rest.

This time around, though, Singer isn’t yelling just about personal demons, but is informed greatly by the political situation in the U.S. As such, the lyrics to songs such as the eerily titled “All Stick and No Carrot” are protests against greed, “rugged individualism,” and the excesses of the era we all live in. The album’s closing track, “Wax Princess,” even ends with a Siri-like message that manages to out-creep (ha ha) even Radiohead’s “Fitter Happier.” The album doesn’t let up for one second, and it feels like not a second on here is wasted, as evidenced by tracks such as the appropriately-titled “Barn Burner,” “War with Strangers,” and “Knife Sharpener.” The album also comes with a lyric booklet showcasing Singer’s incredible graphics as well, a good reason to spring for the physical version.

All in all, this is easily the metal comeback album of the year so far. (www.deadguy.net)

Author rating: 8.5/10