London based EAT DIRT. have been making waves in the scene since their inception a couple of years ago, and only enhanced their reputation with two excellent EPs prior to unleashing their debut album “Death Is Death” which will inevitably take them further outside of their South East homeland. Melding visceral, angry and defiant vocals and lyrics with a melting pot of punk and hardcore influences, “Death Is Death” is arguably the most schizophrenic album you’ll hear this year; but with good reason. It’s not a hardcore album nor is it a punk album, it’s pitched perfectly in the line between the two sounds; combining the best of say Cancer Bats or Death by Stereo with The Hives, yet at the same time sounding nothing like these bands.
Clocking in at 25 minutes for 14 songs should give some indication as to its brevity and speed. EAT DIRT. don’t do epics; instead just 4 of the songs clock over 2 minutes. This isn’t a case of quantity over quality though as the standard across the album is high and none of the songs in any way feel like fillers.
Lyrically the album is typical of late 90s or early 00s hardcore (I’ll fight anyone that doesn’t agree that Indecision / Initial / Revelation Records / Bridge Nine are responsible for creating the greatest era of hardcore). Given my love for the bands of this time, having something new yet that feels nostalgic back to this time is brilliant. Opening track “Make Peace” could easily find itself on a sampler from this era. It’s a great introduction to the band and the album; the heavy shotgun style drumming a real statement of intent. It’s a proper hardcore song which is followed by a more punk tune in “Worms Of The Earth”, which barely reaches the minute mark despite it following a typical song structure of verse-chorus-verse. Both songs work well next to each other to introduce the album and its themes.
Showing they can mix it up, third track “Come And See” is more of a slow burner and whilst the bulk of the song is pretty epic it’s the closing stages which really elevate it; the frantic shouting of “The devil and God are raging in me” is a real crowd pleaser. This ability to mix things up is also apparent on the track that follows; “Moribund”, which has a melodic edge that is more reminiscent of skate punk than hardcore, again it’s a curveball that pays off big style.
The album’s title track “Death Is Death” is a straight up hardcore bruiser that doesn’t even make 1:40. It’s a cracking tune and its circle pit inducing credentials are apparent for all to hear. “Punk Rock Con” is an excellent nostalgia driven song; and by this I mean it reminds me so much of the aforementioned early Bridge9 / Indecision / Initial bands (particularly Breathe In) in that its simplicity, musicality and driving beats will transport you back to the hardcore heydays.
It’s not all straight up hardcore belters on the album, straddling the line between punk and hardcore their more punk leanings come to the fore with tracks such as “Night Terrors”, ” The Beast” and “Bones”. Taking “The Beast” for example, it’s a tune evoking the spirit of The Hives at their most brattish. At the middle of the album, it’s a great pacing decision. In addition, the melodic elements of both “Night Terrors” and “Bones” are real standout moments of the album; again highlighting the band’s ability to turn traditional hardcore tropes on their heads. Finally the guitar work on “Bones” is brilliant; containing the closest thing to a solo on the album and is reminiscent of the metal tinged approach of latter day Death By Stereo.
The closing stages of the album pick up the pace again. “Spend Your Life” with its whoa-whoas is another brilliant song designed to get fists in the air as it talks of the traditional hardcore values of “breaking chains” and “standing up for yourself”.
Closing track “Pull Out” pulls strands of everything that has gone before into a stunning culmination of the bands efforts; bringing an end to proceedings with a brief sing-a-long punk rock song.
Eat Dirt are not the most innovative boundary pushing band. Personally I don’t think they set out to be the next La Dispute but what they have achieved is to deliver a real bombastic, fun, angry and ultimately essential slab of British hardcore. It’s an album you can put on and listen to over and over with ease, the brevity of the songs keeping it interesting and their ability to deliver all the essential hardcore elements in a variety of ways makes for an album that never outstays its welcome. Much like the now iconic (and CPRW faves) Drug Church, if you’re looking for something to listen to that’s more edgy and hardcore than your typical pop-punk fare this could be the release for you.
One final thing to recommend the album is the artwork. I’m a sucker for good art and often feel that if done well can really help set a release apart. The work of Ben Mills (who also happens to be a member of the band) is stunning; I might even go as far to say have we got a British Lubrano on our hands – here is hoping future releases draw on those artistic skills!
Stream and download Death Is Death here: https://eatdirtuk.bandcamp.com/album/death-is-death
Like EAT DIRT. here: https://www.facebook.com/eatdirtpunk/
This review was written by Richard Mair.
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