Emerging in 2016, it is fair to say that UK punks Eat Dirt had us fully aroused within a year through their uncompromising exploits within a self-titled debut EP. Annoyingly a subsequent EP managed to evade us but now the band’s first album has descended on our radar and once more their particular riot, defiance, and anger has us fired up.
Death Is Death is an uncompromising roar of dissent fuelled hardcore lined punk rock; an angry trespass bursting with the frustration and ire not forgetting punk goodness which marked that first encounter with Eat Dirt. Yet it has its own character of sound and flavour, one the band admits is inspired by the “Epitaph Records 1990s roster and the Tony Hawks Pro Skater soundtrack.” Across its fourteen swift assaults on ears and its predominant themes of death, the album bites and incites as it violently stirs and infectiously arouses; numerous textures and styles keenly embraced in its punk bred ferocity. It makes for a release which is quickly recognisably Eat Dirt but with an element of unpredictability which keeps you on your toes and the band as one of British punk’s compelling protagonists.
With only a few of its tracks reaching the two minute mark, Death Is Death swooped by in no time but provided twenty five minutes or so of undiluted vitriolic pleasure starting with opener Make Peace. Instantly a crazed infection loaded hook gripped ears with rhythms soon bitch slapping the senses as vocals hollered with equally contagious enterprise and aggression. Instantly with an Eat Dirt song you realise there are no frills involved, no tricks or deceits, just passion and aggression from a true punk heart but it does not mean they lack the cutest hooks or devious enterprise; the album’s first fury soaked incursion outstanding proof.
Almost before the listener can take a second breath, the brilliant starter shoots off and Worms Of The Earth bursts in. Its machine gun rally of rhythms splintering bone as guitars wire their incendiary intent around the fragments; the song quickly unleashing its own feral demands and ferocity. A whiff of Gallows and early Bronx infests the tempest, manipulative antics just as prevalent as the assault rivals its predecessor in firing up its victim before the multi-flavoured Come And See steps forward to tease with a lone guitar lure. Appetite for its coaxing is soon rewarded by a senses stalking wall of sound and vocal causticity, the track continuing to hound ears rather than savage them to fine effect.
Moribund swings its fists next but every raging blow is wrapped in melodic almost pop punk incited catchiness while the album’s title track revs up its engines to prowl and ravage ears with its punk metal/hardcore inflamed hostility straight after. Anthemic in its rancour and inventively crafted hook equipped design, there was no escaping breeding a lusty appetite, one just as easily held by the following pair of Punk Rock Con and Dog. The first is a punk ‘n’ roll assail of riffs and rhythms, each as barbarous as the next as they stirred up emotions and participation while its successor picked at the remains left by the first with rapacious rhythmic teeth and sonic toxicity around vocal dissonance, melody nurtured hooks only accentuating the reed sparking punishment.
The opening rhythmic shuffle of Night Terrors quickly foraged under the skin as the album continued to impress, the song swiftly building on its infestation with its virulent swing and punk clamour; The Beast emulating its prowess with its own contagion loaded collusion of punk and rock ‘n’ roll exploits before Bones uncaged scars and venom within its similarly involving punk contamination. All three left greed for more in their wake even if maybe they did not quite inflame the senses as numerous predecessors within Death Is Death.
The album’s final quartet of tracks ensured its stirring standards were just as high and potent, Out of The Fire rampaging with almost salacious hostility and emotive discord with Ballad in turn spurting tension through its creative nostrils as jarring rhythms align with harmonic lures and almost carnal enterprise.
As the physical punk ‘n’ roll carousing and vocal inciting of Spend Your Life and the cunningly infectious Pull Out brought it to a thrilling close, the final track especially irresistible, Death Is Death simply demanded and got the quick decision to go all over again. It is one of those albums which proved really hard to tear oneself away from; Eat Dirt once more proving themselves as one formidable and fiercely enjoyable lawless uproar.
Death Is Death is out June 2nd via Bearded Punk Records; available @ https://eatdirt.bigcartel.com/product/death-is-death-pre-order
http://www.listentoeatdirt.com https://www.facebook.com/eatdirtpunk/
Pete RingMaster 01/06/2019
Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright
With inspirations drawn from the likes of The Bronx, Every Time I Die, Gallows, and Comeback Kid, Eat Dirt get right down to business with the EP’s thirty odd seconds title track. Instantly a wall of riffs and rhythms descend on ears, vocal scowling in their tow before a raucous stroll is in place. The unrelenting caustic attack is tempered by mellower backing vocals, their child nurtured ganging up as infectious as the brief but still eventful, hook lined proposal.