Deviated Instinct Dance of the Plague Bearer 12″
With DEVIATED INSTINCT being one of my favourite bands, I cannot reasonably be expected to do anything but rave beatifically about how great this new record is. This cult Norwich crust band does not need any introduction, but suffice it to say that they coined the philosophical term “stenchcore” and contributed to making crust pants a fashion statement that all mums hated in the ’80s. Like many old bands (and not always for the best), DEVIATED INSTINCT reformed in 2007 and they have been going strong since, gigging and releasing solid, convincing records. What has always made them stand out is their ability to offer a relevant version of themselves, a progression (sonically and visually) that synthesizes their best traits and updates them, without mentioning playing better overall, rather than just trying to play their old tunes exactly the same as before—this almost never works, and it can make so many reformed bands so disappointing. They are still playing old school, heavy, dark metallic crust, but you can tell the members have been keeping in touch with the evolutions of the heavier side of hardcore music so that DEVIATED INSTINCT keeps making sense and is no longer seen as “the reformed band.” Dance of the Plague Bearer is fascinating for that reason, as it is a rerecording (from 2017) and reworking of five old songs (including my favourite, “Stormcrow”) that highlights the band’s talent to bring their classic ’80s crust into the new age. Dark and heavy ferocious stench-crust with brilliant growling, threatening vocals and dirty, metallic guitar riffs, produced just right and amazing artwork from guitar hero Mid. They invented that shit. Ace.