Ultimate Disaster Demo 2024 cassette
Before I even listened to ULTIMATE DISASTER, I already knew that I was highly likely to love it. Not just because the name is an absolute cliché (just like myself), or because the band is from Richmond and has members of DESTRUCT and HORRID PEACE, but because I knew that it would comfort me and validate my tastes, which is pretty much why I listen to new bands these days. ULTIMATE DISASTER plays orthodox D-beat, meaning they don’t stray far from the “te amo D-beat” philosophy. In fact, they stick to a very pure version of the formula, not so much aping DISCHARGE but emulating those aping DISCHARGE. Know what I mean? D-beat bands like ANGER BURNING or DEATHCHARGE or even HORRENDOUS. The sound is raw with a “live in the studio” feel, but it still sounds aggressive and impactful—not unlike ’80s peace punk, maybe. D-beat raw punk at its finest, and you can tell that ULTIMATE DISASTER knows exactly what they want to do and how to do it. The D-beat path is a well-trodden one that many think is easy but it is hard to do well something as seemingly and deceptively simple as a good DISCHARGE rip-off. It requires taste and faith in the beauty of the D, and this band has both.