HALF DEAD – Nasty, Brutish And Short LP (Early Onset Records)

thank you for the venom

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Birthed in the right wing cesspool of the Canadian prairies, Half Dead is here to play loud, fast and pissed. No nazis, no terfs, no cops no jerks!

band bio

On their follow-up to 2022’s impressive Binch EP, HALF DEAD continue to sup from the cup of early 80s US hardcore, beefing up the guitars and production for a fresher, more imposing listen.

For a hardcore album, surprisingly few of these twelve tracks are fast, yet most still come in under two minutes. Spitting vitriol from the off, the powerful, overdriven Absolved exudes unrelenting meanness in its driving pace. A weighty BLACK FLAG influence flits throughout, as on the messy In Control, and the nasty, pissed-off vocals and stark guitar lines of Card Declined, the latter sporting a nifty DEAD KENNEDYS-style build. We’re four tracks in (Copaganda) before we get velocity, and even then a colossal breakdown takes it.

There’s nothing real about your favorite show
Where the star is the cop and the cops a hero
How many cops are there on death row?
Spilling blood on the streets but its never their own

There’s nothing real about your favorite show
Where the star is the cop and the cops a hero
How many cops are there on death row?
Spilling blood on the streets but its never their own

Cops don’t keep us safe
We keep each other safe
who keeps us safe from cops?

Copaganda

There’s more DK guitar work on the short, catchy Land Hoard – with male/female vocal trade-off in the verses – popping up again on fist-in-the-air favourite Pound Of Flesh, and Ritalin‘s snotty nihilism. There’s a little slow MDC about the dragging Change Room Blues, all mean vocals and tortured musicianship before it grinds to a halt. They showcase fleeting guitar effect stabs on 15 Pack‘s pounding assault and the short, fast Running Down The Clock, while Luxury Bones‘ discordant guitar lines, male vocal interjections and cathartic chorus form a sonic seducer worth slamming to. Finale Going Sober is the only track with a nod to an earlier time – only a little, mind – with a vaguely rock ‘n roll riff, more male/female vocal trade-offs and vaguely post-punky guitar lines.

Careering between downbeat nihilism and defiant dissent, the lyrics are brief spitballs that get the job done. They kick against religious brainwashing, police corruption, male sexual harassment, and slumlords, while also challenging society’s expectations from a female perspective… and breath… financial hardship, alcohol dependency, addiction to prescription drugs, and crappy jobs. I mean, it’s not TOY DOLLS.

With twelve tracks in around 22 minutes, Hillary Shields’ venomous vocal delivery backed by such searing hardcore punk makes for a vibrant, confrontational listen, each song a shrewdly-crafted nugget. Tight but not squeaky, messy without being a mess, Nasty, Brutish & Short is just that.

released September 15th 2023

https://halfdeadband.bandcamp.com/album/binch

Header photo: Desiree Magotiaux