DYS THROW DOWN A WILD CARD

Crossover thrash historians know DYS, the Boston-based band whose self-titled second album remains essential listening for hardcore and metal fans alike. While the group’s initial run was short-lived, late last summer frontman Dave Smalley (Dag Nasty, Down by Law) and bassist Jonathan Anastas (Decadence, Slapshot) resurrected the name for a handful of gigs, one of which was recorded and released a few months ago for Bridge Nine Records. Now it appears that the new lineup, which includes Scream guitarist Franz Stahl, intend to keep the reunion going with a series of digital singles.

The DYS single series will kick off on November 8th with the song “Wild Card,” which will be premiered exclusively one week prior (starting 11/1/2011) on RevolverMag.com. The follow-up, a love letter to Boston’s unique musical history, “Sound of Our Town” is scheduled to debut on December 13th, “Unloaded” will follow on January 17th, 2012, “(We are) The Road Crew,” a staple of the band’s live set since their reunion, will be released on February 14th, 2012. A fifth new song will be announced in early 2012 and released that March.

Produced by Andrew “Mudrock” Murdock (Avenged Sevenfold, Riverboat Gamblers), recorded at his Hobby Shop Studio, West in Los Angeles, and mastered by Dave Shultz at D2, these are the band’s first new songs released since reforming last year.

Hardcore reunions are a dime-a-dozen these days, but DYS has taken a pretty bold step in writing/releasing new tunes and not just resting on its laurels. We’ll have to wait until next week for our first listen, but the respective and shared discographies of Anastas, Smalley, and Stahl give me hope that this wont disappoint in the slightest.

-GS