ALBUM REVIEW: You Got Me Fucked Up – Deez Nuts
When the band DEEZ NUTS first hit the scene over twelve years ago it felt like a bad joke that would fizzle out pretty quickly. The rap infused hardcore songs on the first couple of releases were laden with childish innuendo and overbearing levels of machismo. However, there was always an underlying feeling that there was something more just beneath the surface. A genuine will to write something with more depth and sincerity and the band have slowly, but surely been filtering that in to their music which culminated in 2017’s Binge & Purgatory, which showed that the boys had matured as songwriters and were ready to push on as a legitimate force in the hardcore scene going forward beginning with their latest studio effort You Got Me Fucked Up.
The album opener Singalong couldn’t have a more apt title and really shows off how much the band have progressed as songwriters in recent times. The simple, hard hitting riffs from guitarist Matt “RealBad” Rogers link up perfectly with drummer Alex Salinger to create a bouncy and energetic backdrop for frontman JJ Peters’ hip hop inspired vocals. The main thing of note on this song is how the band are incorporating much more melody than they ever have before, from the backing vocals to the colossal hook in the chorus. This is a theme that runs through the very heart of the album. The title track itself is chock-full of infectious singing sections sitting on top of solid hardcore riffs and energetic punk drum beats. The surprise of the album at this point comes from the bridge of the song where the boys opt for an ALICE IN CHAINS-esque harmonised vocals to brilliant effect.
The middle section of the album sees the band opting for more or a hip hop orientated sound. The guitar tone from RealBad on the track On Some Shit is as dense and full sounding as it is dirty and distorted and compliments the rasping, harshly spoken verses from Peters. The drum work from Salinger on this album is arguably the finest of his career and this is blatantly obvious on DTDFL4EVA with the ever changing rhythmic patterns and the superb fills, tying everything together as seamlessly as always.
The closing track Bitterest End ensures that the album goes out with a bang rather than a whimper. The guitars and drums sound almost mechanic with the pulverising way they deliver the verse sections of the song. Peters’ is perhaps the most improved player on this album and this closer is the perfect example of why. He shifts between hard hitting, high paced verses and colossal melodic hooks in the chorus that will serve perfectly as ear worms to the audience for some time after the album has ended.
You Got Me Fucked Up is without doubt the finest body of work from the Aussie crew with the band taking their music down exciting new avenues that they have never previously dared to tread. Is it the finished article? Probably not, but HATEBREED once stated that satisfaction is the death of desire and if that is true then the next effort from DEEZ NUTS could really be their finest hour.
Rating: 8/10
You Got Me Fucked Up is out now via Century Media Records.
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