Album Review: Eat Dirt – Death Is Death

I’ve heard a lot of the ‘gruff’ vocal (or ‘shouty’, if you will) recently and while it’s not a new styling, there is definitely a context in which it works more effectively. In my book at least, it’s when you’re passionately angry and have a point which you wish to reinforce in an unambiguous manner. It doesn’t work when you’re singing songs about how you’re not good enough or everything is your fault. Thank fuck then for London punk crew Eat Dirt, for whom anything less than maximum output in every department would be a cop out. This is a full-tilt dive bomber of a record that batters you from the first note and doesn’t give up until you surrender. But it’s not all heavy duty hardcore angry punk riffing and thunder. There are passages of quite unexpected melody and almost power poppy songs that prove that Eat Dirt’s stance is not contrived to fit a niche: this is a band with a purpose and methodology that does not exclude producing the not even occasional toe-tapper. Come And See and Moribund, two consecutive tracks, are prime illustrations of this lighter – but no less passionate – approach. Title track Death Is Death is a brutal slab of mid-tempo hardcore. If there is a single track that encapsulates the Eat Dirt way, it’s the superb Night Terrors which blends a heavy metal verse with a sublime singalong powerpop chorus.

All in all, a highly accomplished and clever piece of work, superbly executed and, at times, spine-tingling in its restrained power and energy. If you want frenzied fretboard wanking, this ain’t for you. If you want massive power shot with a melodic core, I can heartily recommend Eat Dirt’s no frills approach to making punk rock. Cliche alert – play fucking loud.

Death Is Death is now available through Bearded Punk Records here