New Blood

Along with LOTUS FUCKER, NO MINION, and THE GUILT, DEATHRATS can be added to the list of killer DC hardcore bands that have started up in the last couple of years.  This band’s demo knocked me on my ass a few months ago, and it was just pressed on 7″ by To Live A Lie, limited to 300 or something. Here’s the review I did in MRR magazine:

One of the best hardcore demos I’ve heard in a long-ass time. DEATHRATS play ‘dark and heavy’ hardcore that is likely influenced by bands such as DROPDEAD, DEATHREAT, TO WHAT END?, and SKITSYSTEM among others, with a lot of great riffs, cool instrument breaks, crucial feedback at exactly the right moments, and vocal phrasing that works really well with the music, all played a bit faster than usual for this style. Christine’s livid vocals seriously send chills down my spine, and there’s a refreshing earnestness and intelligence to her anger, as she takes on people that project their own misery onto how they treat others, how the male gaze keeps her from developing a positive self-image on her own terms, and how the need for girls to stop hating each other and band together is just as relevant now as it was in the heyday of Riot Grrrl. All of this serves as further proof that girls/women in punk have more reason to be pissed than their male counterparts…

The band’s blog can be found at deathratsdc.blogspot.com, with show info and downloads and what not.