I remember when Northwest surf guardian Thom Head said I needed to listen to this local Seattle band The Delstroyers, and made sure I got a copy of their first EP. I remember hearing it and thinking he wasn't kidding. Since then it's been a lot of fun watching them go on to do bigger things. They released a blast of a debut LP, put out a cool 7" on Hi-Tide, and I've seen them play on two US coasts -- my then-unborn son even started kicking along to a pre-SG101 show, the first time he'd done that to music!
Five years after that first LP, now with a firm footing in the surf scene, they're ready to roll out their follow-up, with decidedly more intricate album art than their first. And you might be surprised to hear... more Delstroyers! 10,000 Ways to Die sits pretty solidly alongside their debut, and even had the same recording & mastering crew as their first. I'm pretty happy about this, that was a great record and there was nothing noticeably broken that needed fixing.
For those that haven't heard either record, they're a loud and punchy group roughly in the vein of The Ghastly Ones -- more power surf than horror surf in my opinion, but what always stands out to me is this bouncing energy to them. It makes me feel like this:
That's not to say that this is a carbon copy. You might be surprised to learn that their bearded bassist/t-shirt model Lukas Myhan, was not a member of the band on the first LP, and his presence is felt on tracks like "The Suffering" and "From the Deep". In fact, the bass might be a little more present in the mix this time, and it feels like it's got a little more body and (dark) presence as a result. Also, to liken this so much to the first sort of undersell some excellent guitar work from Andre Maguire. He's able to stay lightning-fast and rarely leaves room for breath, while managing to stay melodically engaging and rhythmically bouncy. They even try on some fuzz on "Ogre Island" and wear it well.
Also I think the keys might be new? I'd say The Delstroyers were already a band with enough noise that you need to remind yourself that they're just a trio, but the subtle layer of some swirling keyboard sounds does stir things up a little bit more.
If you liked The Delstroyers before, I can not imagine you'll be disappointed by this record. It has everything they had before plus a smidge more. It really feels like the band left every bit of what they had in the studio, and that pulsating energy has been duplicated for all of us to reap.
Available in computer, chunky 180g black frisbee, and shiny flat rainbow donut through their bandcamp. Go get.
