REVIEW: Dealey Plaza - Born Cursed [EP/2020]
Artist: Dealey Plaza
Album: Born Cursed – EP
Dealey Plaza, as one band, haveprobably covered more different subgenres of heavy music than…while, mosteveryone else that comes to mind. From the ruthless deathcore approach dominanton The Masonic Diaries, to the heavily nu-metal influenced materialthat follows and last—but not least—A.D.,and the blend of raw hardcore,metal and thrash it portrayed; Dealey has really done it all. Despite thisdiversity, there is a unifying theme:
Darkness.
Dealey Plaza’s music has always beenabundantly dark. This—obviously, by the look of the cover art—hasn’t changedwith Born Cursed. Continuing along the path forged by A.D., Dealey Plaza wage war on the listener with a raw, ruthless take onmetalcore. Combining gnashing, churning riffs with riveting breakdowns and apinch of looming, dismal atmosphere, BornCursed is a crushing display ofcontemporary heavy music that proves Dealey Plaza’s comeback record wasn’t justa one-off fluke, but rather, the first step towards honing in on their mosttrue-to-self sound yet.
Born Cursed begins with abang and doesn’t let up throughout the EP’s twenty minute run time. DealeyPlaza manage to provide more diversitythan was afforded on their previous offering, A.D., while still keeping thesame energy and aggression that seethed from the record’s every figurativepore. Case and point, where opening number “Born Cursed” is home to anexplosive, catchy breakdown with a thick, groove-tinted lead, “Rehder” has adistinctly doomier ambiance. Every song brings a different element to the tablewhere instrumentation is concerned, keeping the listener engrossed throughout. “TheDuke” is a ruthless song with percussion that roars like a freight train’sengine, bombarding the listener with cannon-like kick drums and a sharp,cracking snare. This is in stark contrast to the preceding track, “Rehder,”which favors a low-and-slow assault on the listener, with bass-heavy grooves thatadd an ominous undertone to Dealey Plaza’s dynamic. Journeying through Born Cursed lends an enlightening experience to the listener—not in content, asDealey Plaza are as bleak and bewildering as ever—but in sheer diversity whenit comes to experiencing what heavy music can offer over such a short span ofminutes.
Where Born Cursed is a crushingdisplay of instrumental aggression, just as much primal fury can be foundthroughout the roars put forth by Dealey Plaza across their five-track powerhouse.Utilizing a raw, harsh yell for much of the record’s duration, the band’s frontmancompensates for little in the way of vocal diversity with unfiltered,straight-up power. From the first yells of “Born Cursed,”through the mournful shouts and screams of “Rehder,” to the tortured, dismalsense of desperation on “Sorrow,” the combination of raw emotion and raw drive behind each syllable screamed throughout the band’s EP helps keep thelistener thoroughly engrossed. Furthermore, where there is a relative paucityof technical variety throughout BornCursed’s vocal department, theband’s lyricism is perhaps more varied than its ever been. Every song on therecord touches on a different theme—from introspection and dejection to theloss of a loved one and far beyond. This sees Dealey Plaza expanding theirsound and style in a way that many—myself included—didn’t inherently expect, especiallyfrom a band who’s roots lay entrenched in politically-fueled deathcore.
Dealey Plaza have put forth a strongEP with a lot of upsides and perilously few pitfalls. Where, yes, there could be a little more diversty in the vocal department, and yes, it could be a little longer, it still checks all the boxes one couldask of a metalcore EP. Fun? Yep. Heavy? You betcha. Catchy? Like the clap.Energetic and engrossing? Yes and yesser. Born Cursed is araunchy, bouncy listen sure to keep the listener hooked, and likely even hookedenough to give it more than a cursory couple spins.
8.5/10
For Fans Of:Bodysnatcher, Born a New, Landfill, Degrader
By: Connor Welsh