Dead Language Dead Language

Dead Language ‘Dead Language’ (Iron Lung Records, 2011)

Dead Language’s self titled LP was one of many enthusiastically received gifts from my friends in Iron Lung. When I offered financial recompense for their unparalleled generosity Jensen stared me down, as only Jensen can, and intoned ‘You just don’t get it, do you Gav?’ as Jon chuckled in the background. Yes, even when they’re distributing gifts you never quite know if the Lung are concocting some intricate ruse to fool you into following them home to a sickening torture dungeon where they can sample your screams for their latest aural assault on this festering planet. Or maybe that’s just me?

Dead Language rage and contort throughout this LP’s mercifully brutal and short existence. Of course the shadow of Iron Lung’s violence looms large over every song, not least because Jensen’s barbaric drums pummel tirelessly like Godzilla stomping on Tokyo, but Jon and Jensen find more room to experiment with their cohorts including Andy Beattie of No Comment fame.

Apart from the relentless hardcore I hear hints of Dead Kennedys in some of the snaking bass and guitar lines (apparent from the get go in a guitar break in opener ‘Paranoia’ and throughout ‘We are Watching you Fail’), a smidgen of Slayer (particularly Beattie’s Araya like snarl), some classic doom, hints of early Wax Trax and some excellent noise.

The packaging reflects the music perfectly; twisted and turned inside out. The lyrics and band information are on the reverse side of the record sleeve so you have to bend and poke the sleeve even to extract the smallest amount of information. Likewise the cover is a conundrum which only reveals its secrets in certain lights or at certain angles. Like everything about this LP it’s brilliantly executed and thoroughly considered.

Peace