Old School Metal Maestros Deadline Uncover their latest EP ~ ‘Abigail’s Crypt’!
SAMNM EXTRA : Album Review By Duke & Exclusive Interview with Jessy Switchblade
THE MUSIC…
Today the new EP of B-sides and rarities from New Wave Old School Heavy Metal Giants Deadline will be released as tribute to the bands and songs that keep them and their live shows going whilst you wait for part 3 of the Deadline Lady Blitzkrieg Black Wolf City Saga!
‘Abigail’s Crypt‘ will only be available online and consists of 3 covers and 2 classic Deadline tunes from previous releases all spiced up with an acoustic, as well as Darkwave/Synthwave/Retrowave treatment!
1. Square Hammer (Ghost Cover)
2. Rebel Yell (Billy Idol Cover)
3. Break The Silence (Nothing Else Matters Version)
4. Holy Diver (Dio Cover)
5. High-Tops & Bullet Belts (Cyber-Tops & Synth-Belts Mix)
This EP is not only a tribute, but a call to arms, as Deadline is not prepared to be boxed in by genres! They also recently lost two stalwarts (Raven Chaos and Baz Steel), so this EP will usher in Deadline Mk4 with The Casual Doctor (Damian Buys Dread) added to the new lineup.
Stream ‘Abigail’s Crypt below
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THE STORY….
Vocalist and Frontman extraordinaire, Jessy Switchblade, shares insight into “Abigail’s Crypt”
The main reason we decided to put out this EP was due to the fact that we waited too long between our debut album “Black Wolf City” and sophomore album “Cathedral Point”. We aimed to release “Cathedral Point” sooner, but life does not always pan out the way we want it to.
Add to that the fact that so many of our fans have asked for recorded versions of some of the covers we play, we decided to release this stopgap EP of B-sides and rarities. It really just is another excuse to get content to our fans whilst the wait for part 3 in the Deadline Lady Blitzkrieg Black Wolf City Saga!
For all of those people who felt the magic of a Deadline show, you will know that we always throw in a cover or two to get the crowd going, so I suppose it was high time that we paid tribute to the bands and songs that keep us and our live shows going. The EP in total consists of 5 songs, 3 covers and 2 of our own tunes, which are off previous releases we decided to spice up.
The covers are ‘Holy Diver’ by Dio, a staple from our live set since our very first show on 7 March 2015. We hardly play a set without including this gargantuan metal anthem. We also covered Billy Idol’s ‘Rebel Yell‘, yet another staple from our set as well as Ghost’s ‘Square Hammer‘. We’ve given the Billy Idol and Ghost tunes the real Deadline touch, so expect fast and energetic renditions of both!
For long we’ve wanted to do an acoustic track, but never knew whether we should write one from scratch or simply transpose an older one and so we decided to do an acoustic stripped down version of ‘Break The Silence‘, a song that’s off our debut album that we wrote against child abuse.
I really think the acoustic version does this song justice and believe that our fans will love this. We also decided to do a Darkwave/Synthwave/Retrowave version of ‘High-Tops & Bullet Belts‘, a song off our second album. That is by far the bravest of the lot, but we consider ourselves dynamic enough to keep pushing the envelope.
This EP is not only a tribute to our hero’s and to the songs that made us, but it’s a call to arms too.
Even though we are a metal band, we are not prepared to be boxed in by genres or boundaries and are happy to rework our songs into our genres cause why the hell not.
The album title follows the story, to those of you that know “Cathedral Point”, you would have read on the inside sleeve about Abigail Calaway, who was murdered inside the Cathedral, and we continue with the theme as we visit “Abigail’s Crypt” for all these hidden B-sides and rarities.
We also recently lost two band stalwarts in Raven Chaos and Baz Steel. The Casual Doctor (Damian Buys Dread) has been added to our line up, so I guess the last reason for this EP is to usher in the new line-up, DEADLINE Mk4. This EP will only be available for online consumption and we will not be printing physical copies. The fans are in for quite a surprise!
THE REVIEW…
Just shy of a year after the release of their monumental sophomore album, “Cathedral Point”, Deadline brings a tasteful offering in the form of an EP entitled “Abigail’s Crypt”. The record features a fine selection of iconic covers melded with alternative takes of some of their original material – effectively showcasing both a keen reverence for influences, as well as a dynamic approach to presentation.
The first cover song featured includes “Square Hammer” by hard rock heavyweights Ghost; a most fitting choice in that it allows the distinctive elements of Deadline’s sound to come to the foreground – powerful vocals, impassioned drumming and wailing guitars. The track has been ever-so-slightly lifted in pace, which sets it apart while still retaining the essence of the original.
The group follows through with a magnificent take on Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell” – an absolute classic, from the album of the same title, which was originally coined in reference to a brand of Kentucky bourbon. This was a fantastic choice – as Deadline really brings forward an energy on this track akin to that of a live performance, which is something that fans have been disparaged of for well over a year now.
And then there is “Holy Diver” – and need I say more? Deadline approach this track with such finesse and a confidence that accommodates the dynamic so naturally, one would almost swear they were the ones to have written it to begin with. A meticulous approach to the distinct lead guitar parts is also notable, and with this it is safe to say that the group has succeeded tremendously in the delivery of this track. Ronnie James Dio would most certainly approve of such an admirable offering.
Also included on the record is an alternative version of “Break the Silence”, a standout track from their 2017 release “Black Wolf City” – a testament of hope, and one which advocates the support of women and children in the face of abuse and adversity. This version takes a more acoustic turn – stripping the song down to its bare bones, but still imparting the same powerful message. This is almost symbolic in that the message aims to provide hope in a time where it is needed most – when one feels as though one has been stripped of one’s power.
Finally, the group have also decided to include something unexpected, yet telling of a vastly-sated influence – a remixed version of “High-Tops and Bullet Belts” (from their sophomore record “Cathedral Point”) cleverly retitled “Cyber-Tops and Synth-Belts”. This is certainly a daring move on the part of the band as far as stylist variance is concerned, although it reveals a more light-hearted side of the group and how they are able to easily transcend the boundaries of their musical catalogue.
Overall, “Abigails Crypt” is a most gracious offering that says a lot about the band and the personal motivations of its members; particularly in these difficult times we find ourselves in. For new listeners and long-time fans alike, the EP is most certainly one which showcases Deadline’s broad dynamic and the passion its members have for their craft.
Reviewed By: Duke Negus for SAMNM
THE INTERVIEW
SAMNM EXTRA: Interview with Jessy Switchblade
Greetings Jessy and thank you for chatting to SA Music News Magazine.
Q: With your sensational sophomore release “Cathedral Point” less than a year ago, what motivated you to deliver this collection of B-sides and rarities, and especially so soon?
Answer: We decided to release this EP so soon after ‘Cathedral Point’ in order to get some content out between albums. We waited too long between albums previously and we just want to keep the wheels turning and keep the fans hungry. It’s a fun little stopgap until album no 3 is written.
Q: What was your deciding factor behind the covers you chose for “Abigail’s Crypt”?
Answer: We decided to record the covers we play the most often live being ‘Holy Diver’ originally done by Dio, ‘Rebel Yell’ originally done by Billy Idol and ‘Square Hammer’ originally done by Ghost. We’ve been asked so many times after shows if we have recordings of our covers and we thought the time was right to get these out and pay tribute to some of our influences.
Q: What inspired the alternative versions of your own Deadline tracks “Break The Silence” and “High-Tops & Bullet Belts”?
Answer: Myself and Dizzy are big synthwave fans and we had this chat with Mike, our producer during the ‘Cathedral Point’ sessions about one day doing a synthwave version of one of our tunes and he showed massive amounts of interest to rework one of the songs. When the time was right it felt right to look at ‘High-Tops’ and remix it. The irony is that ‘High-Tops’ is a song about the glory and splendour of heavy metal so turning it to an 80’s infused dance track is quite bold and I believe that is where the magic lies. We will not be labelled.
Q: You have had some lineup changes of late (with the departure of Founding Guitarist “Raven Chaos” and Bassist “Baz Steel”). Has it been easy to move from 6 members back to 5, and how has the addition been so far of your new Bassist “Damian Dread” (Damian Buys also from Extreme Metal Band A Nameless Dread)
Answer: The move has been seamless. Damian has always been a good friend of the band and has even joined us on stage a few times. When Baz left, he seemed like the obvious choice. He has come in and revitalized us and given us the right amount of energy. As far as moving back to a 6 piece. We started as a 5 piece and only became a 6 piece when we drafted Judge to replace Raven as Raven was emigrating so no that he has emigrated we will remain a 5 piece.
Q: Despite Covid, Deadline has evidently been super busy and creative the past year. Share some of your highlights from the past year that ensured Deadline remain active, pertinent and productive!
Answer: For one we released our second album, ‘Cathedral Point’. The release kept getting delayed and we had no choice but to release it during the big lockdown. Otherwise, we have tried to keep ourselves busy by writing songs for album no 3, we’ve obviously worked on and recorded this upcoming EP and managed to play a few gig s every time we got a chance. With all the movement within the band it was important to get some stage time with the new line up.
Q: You hint hard on socials that part 3 of the DEADLINE Lady Blitzkrieg Black Wolf City Saga is in the making; share some insight with us on the progress hereof, what we can expect and possibly when?
Answer: Well, we have finished 2 songs and we are basically 50% with another 4 or 5 of them. The plan is to still get in the studio before the end of this year to record with a possible early to middle 2022 release. This album is going to be a little heavier than the previous one and that’s how we like to do things. We want to keep progressing and changing our sound. We don’t want to be releasing the same album over and over. ‘Cathedral Point’ was faster and heavier than ‘Black Wolf City’ and the next one will be even heavier than ‘Cathedral Point’.
Q: We see you use the abbreviation and hash tag “DLHMC” on your socials a lot. Tell us what this means and please share some insight around this?
Answer: It stands for Deadline Heavy Metal Crew. That is basically our full name, Deadline short. 😊 It is not only our name but is also used to describe our fanbase and those closest to us. Like Slipknot have their maggots and Twisted Sister had the SMF’s, we have the DLHMC. We have a very loyal following especially in Pretoria that attend almost all our shows, buy all our merch and that are very vocal about us on the social media pages so as much as we are the DLHMC, so are they. It’s a family affair. 😊
Q: You have quite an impressive array of accolades for “Best Old School Metal Band” and “Best Live Band”. The thrilling “Live” factor is a dominant trait of Deadline. For those who have not yet experienced the manic magic of Deadline live, share some of what you bring to the live stage, and why this is so important to you!
Answer: We have a very energetic and passionate live show complete with costume changes and props. Well, I’m the only one with the costume changes. I think the reason behind it at the start was that we entered a scene dominated by death metal, metalcore and deathcore. A lot of the younger generation of fans, often associate old school heavy metal with what people call ‘dad rock’ and we did not want to fall within that bracket.
When we started, we were very aware that we were the only old school heavy metal band in the country, and we were very aware that the fanbase is into different music to we wanted to hit the scene right between the eyes with our aggressive, passionate, and energetic live act. Our live show is very important to us along with our image. We get up on stage complete with our battle jackets, leather pants and high-tops and we feel that the look is very important for what we are doing and that then translates live very nicely.
Q: Where to from here Jessy, I mean what’s on the immediate agenda for the mighty Deadline in 2021, and where can we see you live?
Answer: Well for now we wait for this much anticipated release of the EP, we have some promotional content going along with it and then we’ll play one or two shows Pretoria side and head back to the band room to finish writing album no 3. We have been fortunate enough to already have played a fair number of gigs since the lockdown was eased.
Our next show is on 8 May 2021 and we will be playing at a Goth/EBM/Alternative party called Attrition. I think we may be the first heavy metal live act playing at Attrition and we are very proud of that. Thanks for having me and I really hope you enjoy the upcoming EP.
Thank you for your time Jessy, and we wish you all the best with “Abigail’s Crypt”!
THE BAND…
Formed in September 2014, Deadline are Jessy Switchblade (Vocals), Skullprit (Guitars), Judge Mental (Guitars), Damian Buys (Bass) and Dizzy Styxx (Drums).
Deadline are on the forefront of the New Wave of South African Heavy Metal (NWOSAHM) and mix elements of traditional heavy metal, thrash metal, power metal and hard rock in their music. Deadline are known for their passionate, energetic stage shows and have a loyal fan base all over South Africa known as the Deadline Heavy Metal Crew (DLHMC).
The DEADLINE debut album, “Black Wolf City” was released worldwide on 14 October 2017. Their subsequent single “Before I Die” was released on 19 June 2020, followed by the release of their sophomore album “Cathedral Point” on 26 June 2020.
Best Newcomer – South African Metal Music Awards 2016
Best Live Band – South African Metal Music Awards 2017
Best Old School Metal – South African Metal Music Awards 2017
Best Old School Metal – South African Metal Music Awards 2018
Best Old School Metal – South African Metal Music Awards 2019
We are metal! We are fire! We are legacy! We are energy! We are power! We are Deadline!
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