Yesterday, legendary hardcore-punk institution DROPDEAD streamed the entirety of their long-awaited third album, once again self-titled Dropdead, at heavily trafficked web-portal NoEcho.net. The album will be available digitally on September 25th via Armageddon Label; the CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape versions should see release in November due to Covid-19-related delays. Hear Dropdead’s Dropdead (LP#3) in its entirety at NoEcho and below.
Dropdead officially formed in January 1991 in Providence, Rhode Island, but the original four-person lineup met in December 1989. They played music together for a year before a lineup change saw Bob and Ben switch instruments, a name change, and a great increase in speed and intensity. The idea was to play pissed-off, aggressive, no-bullshit hardcore-punk thrash with personally political lyrics. Musically, the influences drew from bands as diverse as Confuse, Siege, Larm, Crass, Swans, Infest, SSD, Pandemonium, Icons of Filth, Gauze, Septic Death, Discharge, Anti-Cimex etc.
The first Dropdead show happened in April 1991 with Born Against and Rorschach. The band started with – and continues to embrace – a strong “Do It Yourself” work ethic, booking their own shows and releasing their own records via Armageddon Label. Over the years, Dropdead has played hundreds of shows and fests, recorded two LPs, some splits and EPs, and toured the USA and Europe numerous times, as well as Australia and Japan. 2020 will be 29 years for Dropdead as a band, and 30 years with the founding trio of vocalist Bob, drummer Brian, and guitarist Ben playing music together.
DROPDEAD: 27 years speaking and living by their beliefs – check out our interview with the band HERE!
In late 2019, Dropdead completed work on the audio part their third album, recorded by Kurt Ballou and Zach Weeks at God City and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege. Musically, the third Dropdead album is a bit different from previous recordings, style-wise and vocally, with the latter being delivered so the words have an impact more so than just raw screaming. With 23 songs in 24 minutes, the songs themselves vary much more in tempo and style, but ultimately, it’s a Dropdead record that makes sense in 2020. Lyrically, this record is relevant to the times we live in, focused on the alarming state of the world, the disturbing rise of right-wing extremism, animal abuse, and the continued social failures of humankind. “These are dark times we find ourselves living in,” says the band, “and this is how we vent our frustration and anger in a positive way.”
In other Dropdead news, the band are have concluded work on remixed and remastered reissues of all previously recorded materials. This includes a freshly remastered version of the first album from 1993, a freshly remixed and mastered second album from 1998, and a remixed and remastered Discography 1992-1993 with new bonus tracks. 2020 will also see the first-time release of a Discography Vol 2 with tracks ranging from 1995-2013, and an LP of the original 1991 demos. All original, the multi-track reels were restored, then remixed by Kurt Ballou at God City. Proper stereo mixes and all recordings tape speed corrected. These are the best these recordings have ever sounded. The Demos 1991 LP will be released on September 25th while all others shall be released on November 30th, all through Armageddon Label. A trailer for the “Remastered Reissues Series” can be seen & heard HERE, courtesy of Chariot of Black Moth.
Dropdead vocalist Bob is mostly healed up from both his back surgery in 2017 and his motorcycle crash in July 2018 – still issues to deal with, but back in action. The band’s van, which was stolen in June 2019, has been replaced with a new used one, funded in part by the digital release of some tracks from a 2019 demo supported by friends and fans. “We cannot say enough – we are humbled by all the help and support from the underground music community.”
