DEJA MORT / TEKKEN:
Split: 7”
Two French punk bands. It’s oddly reassuring that—barring a shared language, over 5,000 miles of separation between France and L.A., and two different cultures—that punks can artfully gripe about essentially the same things (internet warriors flaming bands but having no real friends and the over-ubiquity of back patches are in the laundry list). Deja Mort is right at my speed. They wrap and warp cataclysm, sinewy keyboard, desperation, ‘80s punk, and misbehaving android background vocals around a French-sounding version of Ass Cobra-era Turbonego. Cool. Tekken: You can almost hear the bullet belts tinkle in the background. It’s world hardcore with a crust center and metal hinges. Thankfully, they’ve got more than one speed, so the drumming doesn’t sound like a direct feed into a metronomic cement mixer. Actually, they kept on making me think of infested rats playing dungeon music at hyper speed while being attacked by vultures made of poop, which is probably exactly what they were shooting for. Liked it. –Todd Taylor (Trahison)