Review / 200 Words Or Less
Deadmen
Anger Rising

Afraid of the Basement (2014) — Nathan G. O'Brien

Deadmen – Anger Rising cover artwork
Deadmen – Anger Rising — Afraid of the Basement, 2014

This is some metalpunx ouf of New Jersey. Superfast and snotty as all hell. Like some spikey-haired snot punk singing for a grind band or something. There’s sweet breakdowns too, which lend it a hardcore vibe. Maybe I’m way off-base, but that’s what I’m feeling. Not always my favorite thing, but I find this rather endearing. Guitars are sick. Especially on “I Won’t Fight It” and “Go Out Like Darby”, which are the final two songs on Side B. There’s a level of crunchiness to the whole recording that I really dig. Pretty solid production but still like, loud and crusty, ya know. Plus they have movie samples in between songs which I always get a kick out of. And there’s some cool sample manipulation type shit incorporated. I should mention that this was sent by Shayne, a solid dude that I’ve been trading mail with for quite a while now. He usually sends along a copy of Afraid of the Basement fanzine (which he contributes to) which also happens to be the name of the label that put this out. I won’t lie, the fact that this comes on cassette makes me like it way more than I normally would. I’m a sucker for tangible items and even more so, if they're re-tread archaic formats. Really nice looking pro-printed packaging, which is no surprise as AOTB is one of the more professional-looking zines that comes through my mailbox.

Deadmen – Anger Rising cover artwork
Deadmen – Anger Rising — Afraid of the Basement, 2014

Recently-posted album reviews

Fontaines D.C.

Dopamine Chamber
XL Recordings (2026)

EP HIGHLIGHTS – “Tongue”, “Where Is Gone?”, “You Miss Me”, “Japan” If you’ve been here from the start, Fontaines D.C. will always conjure up gritty, political poetry and clashing, driving rhythms. Third album Skinty Fia, the defining breakthrough moment and fan favourite, gave them their first number one record in the UK and Ireland in 2022 – but can they … Read more

DeeCracks

True Nothing
Pirates Press (2026)

Let’s get crazy and out of control! That’s what the opening line of the album instructs us to do and I’m inclined to listen. I am new to the DeeCRACKS party and I’m not sure how I missed them. Celebrating 20 years in 2023, the band released 20 Years. A Frantic Effort, and I’m sure this newest release fully delivers … Read more

Massive Nightmares

Ain't My World
Black Numbers (2026)

Massive Nighmares debuted in 2024 with a short EP. Now they return with a full-length. The band plays a somewhat even blend of punk, emo, and alt-rock. As an example, check out "Up In Arms," which is like Dear You era Jawbreaker with a boost of power-pop and maybe some Lemonheads mixed in as well. While it's easily the poppiest … Read more