After their formation in February 2019 and only just a few months of writing, the UK’s Dead Slow began playing for growing audiences in their live music scene. However, just as things were picking up, the pandemic brought the world to a grinding halt. But this bunch of headbangers wasn’t going to let that stop them. In 2020, Dead Slow released 2 singles and a 3 track EP, while simultaneously reflecting on what really matters to them.
The result?
Their upcoming 5 track EP, Crude Landscape. It opens with a grim, haunting, and hypnotic intro that sets the scene for what sparked the band’s inspiration. Crude Landscape is the product of the frustration, confusion, and new perspective that Dead Slow experienced, and it’s something we can all relate to. As the band says, “These 5 songs communicate this baron, numb and sombre landscape we have all been shoehorned into. But with the uncertainty comes the anticipation that we could do something and we were certain of one thing: we were not going to sit idly when we could be making music.”
That intro then explodes into “Blood Astronauts”, which is our first glimpse as to how wildly heavy Crude Landscape gets, and it just keeps building from there. The EP as a whole feels like a high octane thrill ride capturing the pent up anger we’ve all felt after the events of last year, especially on the beasts that are the remaining 4 tracks. (That includes “SHAMPAIN” which was voted as one of the Best Songs of 2021 so far.) Crude Landscape provides the ultimate release of that energy in the most brutal and intense way possible, both vocally and instrumentally. Frankly, there’s not a track on Crude Landscape that I don’t love and if you’re into heavy music, it is an absolute must listen.
The best part? I’m confident this is just the beginning for Dead Slow and I can’t wait to see what’s next from them. Not only are they putting out amazingly heavy music, but it’s obvious they have a pure passion for music in general. That authenticity and just overall respect for the craft is an irreplaceable quality that can’t be faked.
Dead Slow’s current line up consists of:
- Adam Dempster – Vocals
- Matt Gardner – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
- Jay Oliver (aka Nanny) – Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals
- George Caswell – Drums, Backing Vocals
- Jack Owen – Bass, Backing Vocals
I sat down with Dead Slow to talk about Crude Landscape, and get to know a little about this emerging metal band too! Read our interview below:
VV: With Crude Landscape, you guys not only pushed through the difficulties brought on by the pandemic, but you also set out to challenge yourselves as artists on this EP. What was it like when you were writing and recording for Crude Landscape?
Matt: “It was different for us that’s for sure. But like many bands, the pandemic forced [us] into a different way of working. We usually like to flesh things out in a room together but that wasn’t an option this time round. I locked myself away and wrote over 200 songs in 2020 which was nuts. But with frequent video calls and communication, we got through the hump of not being able to write and play together. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t easy at times but we did it and I think it made us way stronger as a unit. Nanny got his nerd brain to dive super deep into learning things about Logic and how we could record/demo at home, as we never really knew how to it before, which really helped sending each other 4000 files a week ha! The world was different so we had to be.
I think we learned a lot from this process, though, and have picked up a lot of skills we didn’t have before because of it. We had so much material to work with but it was so ace to see what everyone was bringing to these structures with Ad’s lyrics and structure suggestions, Nanny wrote my fave riff on the whole record, Jack is such an experienced song writer, I loved what he added with bass, and our favorite wild man, Georgey, was just champing at the bit to get behind his kit.
Plus, it made it so much more exciting when we managed to get in a room for the first time. It was like this huge stomach ache building up that was super intense. The release of energy and joy when I could hear the guys applying their styles to the music was amazing. Everyone in this band brings something pretty unique to the table too. So to hear George, Jack, Jay and Adam playing Crude Landscape for the first time made me fucking so happy.”
George: “From a drum perspective, the challenging bit was mutating the rough demo drum ideas into flowing parts that were memorable for the listener but subtle and enjoyable for other drummers/ musicians too. That is something I always try to give space for. Moving into our lockup gave me the chance to have a base for a more consistent approach because prior to that I was relying on rehearsal room kits, which can be very hit and miss. Pun intended. Now our own Dead Slow HQ is a comfortable, all hours space. I’m drumming with way more comfortability and focusing on how I’m constructing parts that serve the songs.”
Adam: “The rest of the band are based in Birmingham and I am in London so that presents a number of challenges even in normal circumstances. From the writing perspective, not being able to discuss ideas and differences face-to-face was really tough. Everyone knows what it is like trying to get your point across on WhatsApp and there’s only so many video calls one person can take! I thrive off being in a setting where you can really get a vibe for the music and dive into it with everyone. I was also living alone for large parts of 2020 which presented it’s own challenges too. But we persevered and supported each other and I’m really proud of what we have produced.
Recording was also really challenging as I struggled to have productive sessions at home before going into the studio as I didn’t want to annoy the neighbours all the time with the constant loud noises! But Owen was a great help and the rest of the guys pushed me to make sure I delivered my best. Traveling up from London in a pandemic also provides challenges so I have to give a particular shout-out to my girlfriend who was awesome in helping with that!”
VV: You also worked with Nick Ginn of School House Studios and Scott Middleton of Cancer Bats for this EP. What was that like?
Matt: “These guys rule! We thought working remotely with people would be really difficult because of what we mentioned earlier about loving to be together but i don’t think we can sing these guys anymore praise; they really understood what we wanted to achieve with the record and we had a great laugh working with them too. I would recommend them to anyone who wants their record to sound HUGE!”
Jay: “As Matt mentioned previously, this recording/demoing from home was all pretty new to us. But Nick and Scott made my job easy as there were no real technical issues. But as for the guys themselves, It’s extremely difficult to put into words how amazing these guys are. The both of them smashed it out the park straight away. Both of them are fast, efficient, even with the time difference, [and] with us being on the other side of the pond. They don’t miss a thing. Happy to say that we will have a long working relationship with both of them. They both understood our sound and what we wanted from them. We can’t thank them enough!
Also want to say a BIG shout out to our producer here in the UK, Owen Davies at Loud Noises Production, who has done the drum production and the guitar and vocal tracking on this latest record. The guy is a wizard and again, helped us out so much! So we hold this man in high regard!”
Adam: “Not much more that I can add to what the guys have already said other than it was pretty surreal and they are just the nicest dudes!”
VV: You just had a couple of shows recently. Did you perform songs from the new EP and if so, what was it like to finally perform them for a crowd?
Matt: “Literally just got back from our show with OHHMS at the Black Heart in London which was wild. It was our first gig back after the pandemic, So we were beaming! Shout out to OHHMS & Death Goals too. They were unreal and [it] was a really special night! Just keen to get back out there as much as possible now!
Our EP Release show is on November 6th at the Flapper in our home town, Birmingham, and we have our good friends in CREATURE, Fangs Out, and Non Lin on the Bill. This is going to be a RAGER of a night!”
Jack: “For me the OHHMS show was my first as a part of Dead Slow so it was great to finally perform all the songs in front of a crowd. Having been part of the group since around the middle of lockdown 1.0, it feels like it’s been a long time coming! Especially the songs from the Crude Landscape EP as I’ve been a part of the writing/recording process for those!”
Adam: “An absolutely massive release of pent up energy over the last year and a half. It was so amazing to play again and to see the crowd’s reaction. We also released an EP and 2 singles throughout the pandemic so there was a lot of new stuff to play to people and it seemed to go down well. We kept some of the new record under wraps for the release show and I can’t wait to unleash all of it!”
VV: How did you decide on the name Dead Slow?
Matt: “When I was still living in London, Adam and I were drinking whisky at an after party somewhere. I can’t really remember, that part is hazy. We needed a new name; back then we were a three piece called Fiend but found out very quickly like 500 bands have that name so 40 drinks later I said to Adam my whisky was going down dead slow. Whilst we were clambering over this sofa we kept murmuring the word to each other hammered thinking it was funny (to us) and the rest is history. After that we whacked on some Tina Turner and carried on into the night. Next day Adam calls me up and is like THATS THE NAME! So there ya have it!”
Adam: “What Matt says, I think? Tina Turner, always!”
VV: What can fans expect next from Dead Slow?
Matt: “A haunted Tibetan themed CrossFit workout video, a new line of kites and electric blankets in our merch offerings and 4 new members playing the same clarinet at the same time. Or you’ll just have to keep your eyes on our socials and find out. 2022 is going to be a very special year for this band…”
Where to Find Dead Slow & Crude Landscape
Crude Landscape is set to drop on October 29th. In the meantime, stream Dead Slow’s music, pick up tickets to their upcoming shows, or order some merch here.
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