CELL DETH – Death Seller 7"
Death Seller hits the ground sprinting and barely lets up over ten tracks of tight, noisy, blisteringly fast hardcore punk. I've been waiting for this record since I visited PEI on tour last spring and ran into CELL DETH on their way into the studio to record, fresh off performing these songs the night before (I moshed). Now that's it's finally out I am NOT disappointed. Buzzy, evil-sounding feedback heralds each song, replete with sufficiently catchy riffs and straight-shooting lyrics that tackle classic themes like the misery of life under the boot of capitalism, as well as more timely crises such as overdose deaths, attacks on bodily autonomy and Israel's genocide of Palestinians. Story's vocals are a real standout for me – it takes a crazy amount of power and control to make vocals in the highest ranges sound harsh and big, and they totally nail it here. At times it feels like everything is nearly flying off the rails and pulling itself back together just in time to hit a mid-tempo moment or a whisper of a breakdown (nothing wanky though – the closest you'll get to indulgence here is a sprinkling of guitar noodles). The members of CELL DETH are connoisseurs and stewards of hardcore punk in their small scene, and while there are a lot of familiar building blocks in play, they've expertly assembled the pieces together in a way that kept me on my toes, even through multiple listens. You may occasionally get the sense that things are spinning out of control, but don't worry – Dad's driving the minivan and you're (probably) perfectly safe in the backseat. Enjoy the ride.
Released by Broken Skull Records, listen here after May 15
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