Review: DEADPOP ‘OHM’
London’s DEADPOP are Sam Mathys on bass/vocals and Paul Antony (Ghold, Bruxa Maria, Test Dept) on drums/samples. The duo’s label Human Worth once again prove their selflessness with 10% of all proceeds being donated to the Music Venue Trust – a UK registered charity which acts to protect, secure and improve grassroots music venues.
Production on the band’s debut comes from Wayne Adams (Petbrick/Big Lad), a man who seemingly never leaves the studio, in fact I’m left wondering whether this guy has any free time to spare whatsoever such is his prodigious work rate. Regarding OHM, DEADPOP are quoted as saying that ‘The album dances around the absurdity of modern life, touching on social constructs, but also taking the piss out of absolutely everything’. To paraphrase Frank Zappa, does humour belong in music? Or will it simply overshadow it? We’re about to find out…
SABOTEUR is no-nonsense noise-rock with the guitar-less band’s rumbling basslines and pounding drums combining with the absurdist lyrical approach that may recall much missed New Yorkers Cop Shoot Cop. The grimy, metallic sheen meanwhile is reminiscent of Unsane, making for, in totality, a truly kickass start to the album. The hooks on TOMAHAWK are absurdly catchy, and I can safely say that if you’re not at the very least twerking along, then you should hasten a return to your Tool records. The accompanying video is indicative of the sense of fun to be had on this fantastic GNOD-esque track.
TOMAHAWK II is, as its name implies, the ‘follow-up’ or sequel to TOMAHAWK, but therein the similarities end. An instrumental, this is a really cool slice of fuzzed-out stoner rock with additional Karp and Melvins vibes. THIRD METAL WHEELis somewhat appropriately named with ‘70s Sabbath doom being cranked out and filtered through the band’s trademark noise-rock, affording for some truly spectacular results.
‘70s Sabbath doom being cranked out and filtered through the band’s trademark noise-rock…
At nearly two minutes long DIRT CHEAP RAGE is the album’s shortest piece and yet another instrumental, albeit one that has the scuzzy grunge/garage-punk vibes of Messer’s Mudhoney as well as a touch of Tad style bombast. Maybe it’s turning 46 this year, but I’m sure the 36 second sample that opens DISGRACE contains detectable traces of the opening bars to Sheryl Crow’s 1993 hit All I Wanna Do, no? Probably just me then. In any case, the track soon gets to business, with some sweet nods to Fu Manchu, particularly their superb 2007 album We Must Obey.
YESTERDAY, the longest track on the album by far at nearly six and a half minutes, has a hopeless yet hypnotic feel to it in a manner not overly dissimilar to that of The Wipers, the vocals are especially evocative of Greg Sage, that band’s enigmatic frontman. As a huge fan of the former, I’m not especially unhappy with this comparison, whether DEADPOP are remains to be seen. Despite its length, no note feels wasted, nor is your attention drawn away even for a second, another musical highlight.
Samples bookend both the beginning and end of SKYGRAVE with the bass led attack similar to that of Canadians Seum whose 2021 full-length Winterized I was privileged to review for The Shaman. The blues rock flourishes helping to make it an ideal way to conclude the album, which it is.
OHM is such a fun release that you forget the overriding concept being a serious ‘exploration of how we balance societal pressures with freedom of expression and freedom from the digital world’. The messages are there if you wanna take note of them, if not, the music more than makes up for it. Exceptional.
Label: Human Worth
Band Links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Reza Mills
