Insanity might not always be a disadvantage… If there is one lesson to be learned from the new Deafkids EP, Configuracao de Lamento, then it might as well be that. Hailing from Brazil, Deafkids is a hybrid experimental/raw punk band extraordinaire with a d-beat methodology. They have a number of other releases already out there, which I urge you to check out on their Bandcamp page.
Deafkids erratically and with malice switch through different influences, diverse sounds and contrasting approaches in their latest work. Refusing to be pigeonholed in a single genre or mood, they use the raw punk attitude as a starting point, and go through a number of unconventional transformations. Punk is just the peak of the iceberg in this instance.
The raw energy of hardcore punk grants a basis for the bands’ vision. Thick on one end and intrusive, it makes Deafkids appear in an insisting mode of constant struggle, accurately depicted through the repetitive patterns, bringing the music to a boil with feelings of anger and anguish. However, even that as a style sees quick mutations from Deafkids. From dissonant alternative hardcore elements, which bring to mind even early Neurosis, with an extreme approach, to noise influences being channeled into further aggression and hostility, any form of consistency evaporates quickly.
The experimentation that this album undergoes is endless. At first, there is a hint of an industrial approach, as the band combines repetitive patterns, a cold percussive tone and adopts the bleak perspective of the genre. As a counterpoint to that, tribal influences come to the front, signaling a spiraling descent into a festival of horror and death. And then there are instances when the two meet halfway, in “Mordaca” for instance, as hard as it might be to believe. And this is just the Deafkids getting started. Their unconventional drum patterns, going through repetitive loops, making insane use of effects to enrich the ambiance, all these aspects lead to a stunning work.
Deafkids will even go as far as to pitch-shift entire songs, something that very few bands would have the nerve to do, causing everything to slow down and become heavier. Samples come in to destroy the soundscapes, effects are spiraling out of control, and there will be instances when you will be certain that your playback system is malfunctioning; but rest assured, it is just Deafkids producing one sick EP.
