Review written by Kenn Kroosåficks
Record Label : Unseen Forces Records
Having fought through the DIScore D-beat apokalyptik war, PDX’s Deathcharge unleashes a new, but familiar brand of gloom-and-doom deathrocking gothic punk to the masses. Throughout the 90s, Deathcharge were sort of known as a Discharge worship band. One that did a damn good job at it, too, but in 2004, we got a demo cassette from Deathcharge revealing a bit of a darker direction, but still hardcore. In 2005, a 7″ ripper showing off a new style, was it hardcore or was it goth? It was pounding, for sure, but so gloomed over and retchingly lazy. Sheer depression and mental anguish. In 2011, they gave us their latest offering, their first LP, and the fruition of a dream. Love Was Born to an Early Death perfects that sound, and shoots both untitled* sides straight through your skull. Leading off is a chugging punk fucking rock track, which Adam typically drones over with a lazy attempt at carrying the tune, glooming the track over until you get hit by “BULLET WOUNDS // LOOK BEST ON // A FOREIGN CHILD”, leaving us with an anarcho-goth anthem to remember. It leads into Faith Dealers, a chorusy bassline driving you down, with a few shots of feedbacking guitar to the head and a drumbeat to the gut, dragging on for a minute and a half before Adam glooms the fuck all over the six and a half minute track, delivering a beautiful example of what deathrock should be. Raw, rough, and still fucking depressing. The side closes with all too familiar riffage in what would be a new recording of Deathrevels as Adam delivers vocals in an almost whispering shout, like a dead man crying for help. Side B kicks off with Sick Love, the track previewed by Unseen Forces for a free download, another chugging rocker that leads into some beautiful guitar work that switches off with Adam’s droning. The Last Farewell is a rough-and-tumble D-beat rocker, fast, abrasive, and screaming for you to shout it from the pit. The next track follows suit in a hardcore punk sound, as Adam breathlessly shouts his lines as this track leads into an interlude resembling the sound in the furnace from Eraserhead before the woman begins singing. The album closes with a chorusy bassline and tribal drum, sparse guitar playing, a bit of feedback and the darkest vocal delivery and most depressing lyrics on the album. THERE’S NOTHING I LOVE IN THIS WORLD, Newest Dark Age shows idealized gothic punk, not sure if you should dance, bash your face in the wall, overdose, or a combination of the three. A guitar solo shoots off in the middle picking your head up to listen to the end. I’M WAITING AND I WISH THAT I WOULD DIE SOMETIMES.
Photo via Vinyl Abuse
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