Deez Nuts – ‘Binge & Purgatory’ (Album Review)
Deez Nuts are the ultimate hardcore party band. But what happens when the party’s over?
Deez Nuts first started exploring that question with 2015’s Word Is Bond. The result was a blistering barrage of metallic hardcore that took on mature themes such as addiction and identity. On Word Is Bond, Deez Nuts gave themselves plenty of room to expand, evolve, and get deeper.
Binge & Purgatory sees Deez Nuts get deeper still. It’s also compact and concise, finishing up after just 32 minutes. In that time, though, a lot gets said.
Beyond the atmospheric opener Binge, this album really kicks off with second track, Purgatory. It is completely uncompromising, returning to the topic of addiction and digging into some meaty Pantera-style riffs. Pantera’s influence rears its head throughout Binge & Purgatory, along with the likes of Refused and Madball. This is a lyrically vulnerable and musically brutal album.
It’s also full of hard-earned life lessons. Deez Nuts have always fought the world, but this time around they’re also fighting the enemy within. Antidote and Cakewalk tell listeners not to judge books by their covers; Commas And Zeros struggles to find inspiration in a money-driven business; Break Out promotes the importance of non-conformity in a world full of clones; and Discord, Lessons Learned, and For What It’s Worth prioritise the present moment over the unchangeable past and uncontrollable future. Remedy focuses squarely on survival; thirty-two-second thrasher Carried By Six is a laser-guided fuck-you; and when it comes to Hedonistic Wasteland and Do Not As I Do, the titles say it all.
Overall, Binge & Purgatory has made Deez Nuts even more relatable than before. Their back catalogue is balancing out, and only the most dedicated haters would carry on hating after hearing this one.
87%
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