Don’t Sleep On Deadlock’s “Dead City Sleepers”

Sometimes a band is pure in its infancy, and then goes all lulzy as they grow up and grow ashamed of their naive early stuff. In other words, they decide that freshman stupidity is not preferable to the phony gravity of sophomores (and thus court the ridicule of Sergeant D). It’s no biggie, we all know it’s tough to pin down your own identity — especially while being watched by hundreds of people who give u money and sex.

But there’s a normal evolution too, one that we hope for from bands that start out with weird priorities, or an overly-evident devotion to their heroes, or ambition beyond their means. That’s how I’m pulling for Deadlock, a snappy gang of well-intentioned Euros who mar decent jamz with entry-level rants about animal rights and stuff. My hopes are modest — maybe they could be a cousin to both Soilwork and Lacuna Coil? — but Deadlock’s new song kinda points to a much awesomer future. Its structure is KsE 101, but its ornaments are crafty and memorable! U jam?

Deadlock’s The Arsonist is out July 26 on Napalm Records. Pre-order here.