Review Summary: Deez Nuts stick to what they do best and smash out half an hour of massive breakdowns and riffs. A solid release following up on the success of 2015's Word is Bond.
Deez Nuts are a hardcore band from Melbourne, Australia, and they're a band after my own heart. I love hardcore, I love rap, and I love beer. I've been following Deez Nuts since the release of Stay True in 2008, and if there's one thing that can be said about them, it's that they're a damn good time. 2015's Word is Bond was without a doubt a huge stride forward for the band, and they continue that trend with this release.
Off the bat this album is hard as nails. The production is raw yet polished, much like the band's songs themselves. One of my favourite things about the production is disgustingly good bass tone. I love crunchy, hard hitting bass guitar and this album has plenty of that, accompanied by hard hitting drums, the rhythm section here does exactly what it's supposed to and does it very well. I especially enjoy the snare sound, it's not too tight, but it definitely has that hit you want for this kind of music. The guitar tone is crisp and heavy, although fairly standard in terms of what you'd expect from modern hardcore. The band also create some fantastic space at times on this record, like the second verse in the 6th track, 'Discord'.
JJ Peters has made some notable improvements in his vocal performance coming into this record. Whilst there's plenty of the yells that you've heard on their previous releases, Peters ventures into providing melody at times, often accompanied by gang vocals, and it's refreshing to hear in between the break neck pace of his usual vocal delivery. As is often the case on Deez Nuts records, there's a plethora of vocal features throughout as well. Although I'm not sure who by, they're all done very effectively, especially the feature from Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta on 'Lessons Learned.'
Realistically speaking, although this album is a hard hitting, wall crumbling half hour of power, it's very similar to what the band have produced before. However, that's not necessarily a bad thing. If a band like Deez Nuts were to suddenly change up their sound in a big way I think it would divide the fans, and cause a lot of friction. Make no mistake, hardcore fans don't like change, not one bit. I personally really enjoy what Deez Nuts do, so I'm happy to hear more of it, but don't expect anything massively new and groundbreaking on this album. What you can expect, is some sick breakdowns, huge gang shouts, fast riffs, and a boisterous performance. It's classic Deez Nuts, just refined and refreshed.
If you don't take yourself too seriously, enjoy banging your head and throwing yourself around, this album is for you. For returning Deez Nuts fans, there's everything you want here. My personal favourites after a few listens are Purgatory, Lessons Learned, Cakewalk, and the album's closer, Do Not As I Do. I definitely recommend checking this one out, Deez Nuts prove themselves as one of Australia's biggest and best.
