Search - Dead Child :: Attack

Refreshing Filicide

Luke Rounda | Lawrence, KS | 09/09/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Lowdown dirty sludge-rock from sometimes members of math/slow rock progenitors, Slint. Dead Child is about as far from Slint's ultra-minimalist creep as music can be, and that's sort of the point.



What can possibly dull the pain of ten thousand cookie/wrist cutter bands screaming in your ear like Charlie Brown's mom about their ex-girlfriends? Simple, back-to-basics stoner metal by way of severely flappy, downtuned guitars.



But there's a twist. The calculated nature of so-called "slowcore" bands like Slint or The Shipping News lives in Dead Child in their methodology: take a good groovy metal chug, and throw in some unexpected tempo or rhythmic changes. "Never Bet the Devil Your Head" slows to a crawl and fakes an ending at least ten times, but starts back up for one last flame. Dead Child's more adventurous bits are supported by an underlying, entertaining simplicity which grabs listeners by the ear and makes them stay for more.



A final selling point is the band's sense of humor about metal subculture, embodied most purely by their chosen moniker and some of the song titles. "Screaming Skull," anyone? How about "Twitch of the Death Nerve"? "Sweet Chariot" is, in a sense, a perversion of the old standard---it's impossible to hear "Swing low!" sung like this and not picture a bloody axe.



Recommended if you like Motörhead, Burning Brides, Megadeth."