Review: Dead Ending “Dead Ending” (2012)

deadendingDead Ending
Dead Ending
Alternative Tentacles Records
Sounds like: Pissed off political punk/hardcore

Rating: 9/10

The few people that showed up early for the Punk Rock Bowling 14 festival show on Monday, May 28th witnessed the debut performance of a raging new hardcore band based primarily out of Chicago called Dead Ending. With the unfortunate billing as a hardcore “supergroup,” DE nonetheless features Vic Bondi from Articles of Faith on vocals, Jeff Dean from The Bomb/Explode and Make Up/Noise By Numbers on guitar, Joe Principe from 88 Fingers Louie/Rise Against on bass, and Derek Grant from Alkaline Trio on drums. “Ex-members of…” aside, there is little doubt the members of Dead Ending have a solid musical pedigree, and therefore it’s really no surprise that the band’s first release, a 5-song 12” EP on Alternative Tentacles Records, absolutely rips.

In case you may have missed the Vegas Archive series, I feel it’s also necessary to mention that I had the pleasure of cutting my musical chops with Dead Ending guitarist Jeff Dean in the LV band Tomorrows Gone. It bums me out that Jeff and I are separated by a couple thousand miles these days, but I am constantly stoked on his music as he continues to hook up with countless icons from Chicago’s classic punk rock past. From Jeff Pezzati of Naked Raygun and The Bomb to Danny Vapid of Screeching Weasel and Noise By Numbers, Jeff has created some crucial new music with some of the better punk heroes we grew up listening to.

And now Jeff is jamming with Vic Bondi from the veteran Chicago hardcore band Articles of Faith. For those readers that may not know, AoF was one of the very first American political punk rock bands, and many enthusiasts regard their 1982 EP, What We Want Is Free, as a quintessential slab of hardcore wax. I personally place AoF on the same early HC plateau as personal favorites such as 7 Seconds, The Faith, and Minor Threat, and I would highly recommend their two-volume, complete vinyl discography that is still available on Alternative Tentacles Records.

As for the Dead Ending EP, the 5 songs included here aren’t too far removed from Bondi’s earlier material or AoF’s 2010 EP offering, New Normal Catastrophe (check this one out too). This is straight forward hardcore for the most part, with a few musical frills thrown in here and there, especially in the form of some truly technical drumming. The last track on the album, “All The Way Down,” also stands apart from the other four cuts with a mid-paced, rockin’ tempo and some more melodic elements.

Lyrically, Vic keeps it more toward the socio-political end of the spectrum as opposed to the personal, and it’s fairly obvious he has a bone to pick with modern government/society. Most of the subject matter here deals with the trappings of the world we live in and how our leaders and their status quo are destined to take us down a dark and desperate path as a people. To say that Bondi has a bleak outlook on the future of America would most definitely be an understatement, but I agree with the sentiment more often than not.

Other than the music and lyrics, I also have to comment on the recording. Not only is Jeff cranking out jam after jam on the guitar, but he has also been busy mastering his craft in the studio, and I feel he has really outdone himself with this 5-song EP. Each player’s part stands out perfectly in Chris Beeble’s expert mix, and I think it’s fair to say that I haven’t heard a hardcore band sound this powerful on tape in quite some time.

The fact that this is on Alternative Tentacles is awesome as well. The Dead Kennedys were one of the first punk bands I stumbled upon as a teenager, and I always loved the AT logo that was prominently featured on the B-side label of every DK record. To see that same label on the flip side of the Dead Ending EP is a real treat, if only for the sake of nostalgia, but it is also refreshing to hear some vital new music on a label that may still be recovering from the DK’s lawsuit fiasco.

In summary, this is exactly what pissed off, political hardcore should sound like in 2012. The songs are short and sweet, the message is loud and clear, and like most great punk/HC EPs, the whole damn thing is over before you know it. Watch for a full length album from Dead Ending in the very near future, but in the meantime, take a listen to this tasty teaser.

-Lance Wells

About the author  ⁄ Lance Wells

The power of youth trapped inside an aging body. I like most things punk and hardcore. Just like Kev Seconds said, I'm gonna stay young 'til I die.

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