Source: Album Artwork
Since their first record came out just under ten years ago, Australian hardcore unit Deez Nuts have continually delivered a no-nonsense style of heavy music with both a consistent and brash level of confidence. As far as where they fit on the actual hardcore spectrum, they wouldn’t disagree that their approach is very much “meat and potatoes”, “what it says on the tin” and “sourced naturally” all rolled in to one. Very much taking their cues from the New York hardcore scene and the likes of Agnostic Front, Madball, etc. the quite absurdly named Deez Nuts have certainly built themselves quite the reputation in recent years, usually providing content as juvenile as their name suggests, the band have actually taken a slightly more serious and considered approach with Binge & Purgatory, all whilst not really missing a beat.
Often with bands of this nature the real stickler ends up being in the production – there is nothing worse than having a big beat-down style riff sounding as heavy and crunchy as a spoonful of porridge so thankfully both the band and producer Andrew Neufeld have done their part in avoiding this occurring. The bass sound in particular makes everything sound about ten times bigger with Sean Kennedy spearheading some of the better moments on this record. Fundamentally Deez Nuts are a band who have never really shied away from generating a pulsing sound all in the name of having fun, the day their tracks don’t encourage neck ache induced headbanging and the odd pit here and there will be the day they should pack it in. There is no risk of that here with tracks like ‘Purgatory’, ‘Lessons Learned’ (featuring Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta) and ‘For What It’s Worth’ destined to be featured on live set-lists for many, many, years to come.
Across all of Binge & Purgatory another real highlight comes in the vocal department. JJ Peters doesn’t drift a million miles away from what he has done in the past, but there is a genuine sense that his experience has allowed for a greater intelligence as far as his role in the piece is concerned. Taking an approach very similar to Jamey Jasta he delivers impact blows at the right moments whilst also allowing the crushing music underneath to breathe a bit.
Overall then, whilst not looking to reinvent the wheel in any way, Deez Nuts deliver yet another solid slab of hardcore tracks sure to please both their current following and casuals alike. With thirteen tracks stretching to only just over thirty minutes, it is definitely worth giving a spin.
