Predeceased – Weirdo Riffers (Post-Punk Krautsludge)

 

Damn I had no way of figuring out a special genre for this one, so take what I put up there and love it. Further, here’s that old conundrum of mine. I don’t like reviewing stuff that’s already been released, but we have a special case here so hear me out. Predeceased have a ton of singles they’ve been dropping, and they tend to put these into a compilation format afterwards, but in this case we have that plus two new tracks so I guess I’m okay with it. Honestly the only reason I am is these guys kill it and most of the hardcore punk and adjacent genre material I get for review is slop. Might as well be AI it’s that vapid. Weird Riffers is, however, much different, more like a grenade tossed into a street punk two-stepping pit, with chaos harnessed to a purposeful degree instead of the usual.

   

A positive feature here is how many of the tracks stand out, and not to the detriment of others. You could sell this album on a single track and be fine with it, and there’s more than one to choose from. The rest could suck and it wouldn’t matter. But Predeceased back that up with nary a sleeper in the entirety of Weird Riffers. Even a remix of another track that comes after a previous version hits like its brand new. These guys have excellent groove too, in spite of the jagged quality to their riffs, part of this due to the maul-like strikes of the drumming; always keeping pace and tempo so it remains grounded. Angular hooks also give them an unpredictable edge in a genre well past geriatric. There’s a number of inventive elements here, though I will say I was somewhat disappointed in the vocal delivery, which carries the post-punk and post-hardcore approach I expected but was hoping I wouldn’t find. With their modern style, including some synth for further effect, I was expecting a lot more nerve there. Regardless, they do what they do, and Weird Riffers provides a solid picture of the band’s entire output up to this point, remastered, with some new shit. With the frayed, confrontational wit the band uses to keep the listener off-balance, you’ll likely find it impossible to dislike.

 

Predeceased Official Instagram

Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls

Predeceased – Weird Riffers
Self-Released
Cover Art: Marco Imov
4.5 / 5