If there's a gap between Norma Jean and At The Drive-In in your listening requirements then guess what? We've got the sweet, sweet candy that you so desire. Taking to center stage and bringing a slew of vicious riffs, hooks and time changes are Murdock, your new favorite power trio. Playing a unique brand of chaotic hardcore, these three young Irishmen can lay claim to being one of the freshest sounding bands in any of the genres that detractors will write them up as. When things get furious, there's no one angrier. When thing's settle down a bit, they get furious all over again. Then there's a sax riff and everything is happy.
There's an unceasing energy on Dead Lung, an energy that would be wasted in other avenues of exploration; in terms of sound. Murdock make sure that no note is wasted and that every barked vocal or smashed cymbal is exactly where it should be. There's death metal precision in this material, without the blast beats or Satan. Instead, the listener is treated with the sharpest of riffs and choruses, not to mention the phenomenal drum performance from a man who must have three arms and feet. The blending of hoarse vocals and (slightly louder than) spoken word is a perfect fit too, somewhere along the lines of Poison The Well or Converge. Each track is as devastating as the last, bar the previously mentioned sax interlude, and the frenzied nature of some of the material simply has be heard to be believed.
Debut Dead Lung arrived on Basick Records earlier this year but Murdock have been working their arses off for years now. These three have fine tuned and lovingly crafted one of the most refreshing slabs of punk/metal/hardcore/swing anyone will hear this year. Smash a riff/beer/face for the boys!
