ALBUM REVIEW: Deathcrash – Less

untitled (recs)

Released: 17.03.23

The opening track of Deathcrash’s new LP Less is misleading. For the first 90 seconds of Pirouette I almost thought the slowcore Cambridge band had broadened out into twee noughties rock with a play on A Certain Romance.

I was mistaken. The title of tracks, Empty Heavy, Dead, Crashed, don’t lie. They’re as melancholic as they sound. I hesitate in labelling the album ‘depressing’, as what makes Deathcrash brilliant is their ability to dynamically rise out of depressive melodies into moments of intense exhilaration. It’s hard and loud and quite literally crashing. This USP though could also be the album’s weakness. Sandwiched between two seven minute instrumental belters, Less sacrifices commercial listenabilty for minor arty experimentation.