Death First

Death First [7-inch] (2010)

David

Death First is a hardcore band from Brooklyn, and is definitely on its way to being something special. Lead vocalist Jessy cut her chops in Carnal Knowledge and brings with her a real depth of strong opinions, lyrics and vocal skills. What sets this band apart, right off the bat, is their ability to tackle really hard issues that kids really face on a regular basis, dissect those issues, and provide real insights into these things that regularly gnaw on us.

Each of the five tracks on this debut 7" talks about something important. It opens with "Rock Camp", a tribute to the awesome Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls. "Change" describes the often-scary divide between your accomplishments and your sense of self ("Fix the world; you're still the same. / Feels like you're the one to blame"). And "Exiled" talks about the way we divide as a community and the ensuing way people are forced out and/or need to escape abusive situations.

On the "B" side, "Spread Thin" describes something more mundane but no less serious or pervasive: We "go to work, go to school, go home and crash," but at some point we are no longer getting the most out of life; we just "never learn how to say no no no no no." And "No Such Thing" is about the little acts of selfishness in the scene that can cause real problems.

Musically, Death First definitely has something interesting to offer. They don't fall prey to the more recent fad of slowing hardcore down–the pace can only be described as frantic. But this isn't just recycled '80s hardcore chords. There are actual interesting guitar melodies, not simply fuzzed-into-nothingness by pure distortion. They serve as a great complement to Jessy's thoughtfully and emotionally shouted vocals.

Anyways, Death First is a great band. They're still young, but I'd be surprised if you aren't hearing from them regularly soon. Don't sleep.