“All my favorite bands are doomed to obscurity.”
Three years following their second full-length record, Full Vol., back in 2019, hardcore punk outfit Dead Tired have returned to the fold with a collection of tracks spanning influences from across the heavy music world in Satan Will Follow You Home. Ranging from the the paciest of pick-up-your-feet thrash bangers, to the sludgiest depths of the doom-metal dirge, this is a record that packs a lot of abrasive sounds into one digestible package.
The record does, admittedly, show some weakness out of the gate. Opening track “Predatory Loans”, while largely competent in execution, is emblematic of a more sizable problem across Satan Will Follow You Home: repetition. Admittedly, no track exemplifies the issue quite like this opening number, but the problem is one that persists even through the album’s stronger cuts. While the pacey, frenetic drumming of Theo McKibbon keep the drive of the track going reasonably well, its the one standard-fare punk riff repeated ad nauseum throughout the four-minute runtime of “Predatory Loans“, with little-to-no variation, that makes the track grating. The last leg of the track provides a moment of reprieve with a breakdown-esque riff to break things up, though the issue persists even here, with the riff repeating over and over until the track ends. It’s a frustratingly monotonous way to open up a record with so much more to offer, and while the issue is never quite as stark across the remainder of the record as it is here, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth as a first impression.
While the hardcore punk/thrash-adjacent aesthetic that leaves a tad to be desired persists for a few more tracks past the opener, where the album truly picks up steam for me is in mid-album cut “Vast Lethality”. A sludgy, doomy cut, featuring one of the strongest performances from vocalist George Pettit (of Alexisonfire fame) across the entire record, as the sonic landscape lays bare for him to belt and shriek to his heart’s content, before the wall of sludgy noise returns to the fold to pummel the listener into submission. Far and away my favourite track on the record, “Vast Lethality” is thankfully a sign of things to come across the latter half of Satan Will Follow You Home, as the doom-metal-esque stylings of this track are carried over to further standout tracks “Creeping Dead” and stellar closer “Domestic”.
While the repetition found specifically within Satan Will Follow You Home’s guitar work left much to be desired on a songwriting front, I can’t deny that what Dead Tired have crafted here is a fun time. Pettit’s vocals are fierce and biting; the production is tight; and McKibbon’s drumming is top-notch. While the record spends much of its time indulging in its thrashy/hardcore punk-adjacent aesthetics, where it truly excels is in its sludgier, doomier moments, with tracks like “Vast Lethality”, “Creeping Dead” and “Domestic” standing out on a songwriting front. Through that, I sadly feel the album misses a key opportunity to hone in on its utmost strengths in its downtempo cuts, and spends far too much time dawdling and dabbling in its lesser sounds. With that said, I still feel there is much fun to be had across the entirety of Satan Will Follow You Home, and if the thrashy, punky nature of the album’s pacier cuts sound enticing to you, you’ll likely find something to love in what Dead Tired have created.
6.5/10
Satan Will Follow You Home will be available on the 8th of July via New Damage, and you can pre-order the record here. For all things Dead Tired, hardcore and music in general, keep it locked on Boolin Tunes.