Review Summary: Your face: it no longer exists.
Some bands write 40 minute records. Some bands write hour long records. Even the ballsy (or annoying [that's you, Tool]) bands go as long as they can on a single CD. Dropdead are none of those kinds of bands. They, at their prime, didn't need to drag out every song just to make it work. Aside from being completely awesome, they are also more interesting in 15 minutes than most bands are in an hour.
Active during the 90s, Dropdead played some of the most furious music to ever be put out a 4 track. Not content to stick with a single genre, Dropdead dabble in multiple genres, including, but not limited to: powerviolence, grind, hardcore, and emo. Picking out individual elements from specific genres is an effort in vain as Dropdead are absolutely flawless masters of melding their influences into the vehement out-pour of emotion that is their music. Countless bands try to imitate the aggression that these men accomplish on both of their albums, named with a spark of ingenuity 1st LP and 2nd LP. Combining lightning fast riffs, unbelievably angry screams and furious drumming, Dropdead will leave the listener wondering where on the pavement their skull got crushed.
Their 2nd record, named 2nd LP, is 15 minutes of unbridled, pissed off and passionate music. If anyone could write a blueprint for angry music, Dropdead would be a prime candidate. Instead of just relying on speed or intensity as the constitution of their assault, they instead opt for a dynamic, often times sporadic approach; this gives their music the ability to be extremely repetitive while still extremely engaging. The aspect of repetition, however, is lost in the brazen temperament of their furious wake, slaying all those who dare stand in their way. Technicality is lost in the blur of their demonic wake. Their name is truly a fantastic representation of their output: the atmosphere given off is apocalyptic to the extreme.
With 18 songs in less than 15 minutes, Dropdead get the ball rolling and never let up. There are no breaks, no pauses, no respites from their temper. Each and every minute is packed with explosive riffs, destructive vocals, groovy basslines (yes, it’s audible) and ear-bleeding screams. If not for being conceived in a format utilizing sound, these men might be out ravaging the landscape, leaving bodies and destruction behind them.
It is hard to imagine anything but absolute destruction when listening to the onslaught that is Dropdead. The 2nd LP is 15 minutes of the most uncomprising music ever put out: Bru-Death eat it.
