When the Deadbolt Breaks have been at it for twenty years, churning out music that’s heavy enough to make your nan faint. Their new one, In the Glow of the Vatican Fire, out on Argonauta Records, is a proper monster (Psychedelic Doom/Sludge Metal?). It’s like they took all the crap in the world - people being dicks, hearts turning to stone, gods getting fed up - and turned it into this big, ugly, beautiful noise. Aaron Lewis sings like he’s hacking up a lung full of ash, all raw and angry. Amber Leigh’s vocals are weird as hell, like she’s a ghost sneaking into your nightmares. Steve Wieda’s bass is just… bloody hell, it’s like the floor’s shaking and about to swallow you. And James Plotkin’s mastering makes it all hit so hard you’ll feel it in your teeth.
This album’s not messing about. It’s dark, heavy, and kinda messed up, like staring at the world and realizing it’s all gone to shit. The riffs are massive - think a bulldozer running over your hopes. But then there’s this trippy, psychedelic stuff woven in, like you’re lost in a fog and hearing voices that aren’t there. It’s not just loud; it’s creepy, beautiful, and a bit wrong, like finding something pretty in a dumpster. The whole thing’s about an hour, and it doesn’t let you breathe - it just keeps coming, like a mate who won’t shut up about the end of the world but somehow makes it fun.
This is for when you’re proper pissed off, or maybe just wired at 2 a.m., thinking about all the ways life’s screwed you. Pop it on the fancy vinyl if you’re one of those record geeks, or just blast it on your phone while you’re stuck in a queue. Doesn’t matter - it’s gonna grab you and not let go. It’s not about one song or another; it’s the whole damn thing, like getting lost in a bad dream you don’t wanna wake up from.
The band’s gonna tour soon, hitting up New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and probably more. If you see ‘em live, expect to leave feeling like you’ve been through a fight and loved it. In the Glow of the Vatican Fire.
Order HERE.
https://www.facebook.com/WhentheDeadboltBreaks
Thanks to Grand Sounds PR.
