Saturday, December 12, 2009

Death Sentence CD

In 2009 this label named Lazy B digitized “Not a Pretty Sight” and “Stop Killing Me” into a CD format. This is the Vancouver band and not the Australian name doppelganger. The band always had a DOA likeness to their sound, but those comparisons were largely because the singer, Pete Cleaver, sounded so much like Joey Shithead. It is uncanny. DEATH SENTENCE had a little heavier particularly on “Stop Killing Me”, but that material came out two years later after the band worked at getting bigger production.. As a result that material sounds like shit. But “Not a Pretty Sight” is incredible. We heard that record because Fringe licensed it in Toronto and as a result there were lots of copies around. As a result of this release I learned that it had originally come out on the band’s own label Undergrowth, which was the name of the band’s first demo. The opening track “Live to Die” reminds me of the BLACK DONNELLYS with the unrelenting build ups that just keep driving the song. And if I were to compare DEATH SENTENCE to anybody it would be DOA from the vocals, BLACK DONNELLYS from the pace and maybe some BAD BRAINS or GBH from a musical standpoint. One of Canada’s lesser known gems. Up there with bands like YYY and DIRECT ACTION. (Lazy B Records - #1, 650 West 6th Avenue / Vancouver B.C. / V5Z 1A5 / Canada)

1 comment:

  1. Jesus....
    It's LAZY 8 records as in the Metis symbol. (I'm Metis, it's my label)
    Undergrowth was never our label.
    We were one of the first ''crossover'' bands ever, Metallica, Stranglers, DOA, Bad Brains, Damned, GBH, Guns and Roses, Black flag, Led Zep, Dead Kennedys, AC-DC were all major influences. I sang Dawn of the Dead, In Flames, so not Joey. Thanks for the review tho, cheers...Doug Donut.

    ReplyDelete