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The Deal-Cutthroat
(Facedown, 2004)
This band totally takes me back to the days when I was first getting into punk music. The music was fast, fun and totally energetic. You don’t really hear many straight forward punk bands anymore and while this does combine a few genres, it reeks of the old school and has more in common with the 80’s then it does with the current scene.
The Deal’s sound could basically be summed up as a cross between punk rock, hardcore, oi, and rock n’ roll. Anything within the parameters of those genres works for the band. You have more mid-tempo songs with more of a rock or oi feel, while other songs kick up the tempo and remind me of early hardcore. Some of the more melodic sections remind me a bit of H20, but even that band was more of a throwback to the old school albeit mixed with some modern influences. I also hear a little bit of Sick of It All in a few parts as well. The Deal isn’t as heavy as NYHC, but they draw a bit of influence from it from time to time I’d say. This one I’d say would definitely appeal to fans of H20, Sick of It All, and Overthrow.
One of the main reasons I would recommend this band is the diversity. Within the sub genres of punk it’s hard to find a band that remains fresh from song to song. Most bands find a formula and stick with that for the entire duration of the album, but these guys pretty much change from song to song. It still has a unifying thread from track to track, but it would hard to say that this wasn’t a varied album.
I’m a huge fan of the production here. It has a raw, live sound but still sounds tight. The vocal performance is really brought out by the production. I would almost say that the vocals are a bit too out front at times. It doesn’t detract from the music, but I think the guitars could have been a bit louder though. Speaking of the guitars, I love the guitar sound. It’s powerful, yet isn’t overly distorted. Obviously these guys aren’t the heaviest band around, so they don’t need an incredibly monstrous guitar sound. This is the type of production more bands need to strive for. Full of energy yet, still tight and powerful.
While you could say this is more old school influence calling them just another old school band would be cutting them short. They do have some melodies and the vocal approach is a bit more modern. If a combination of punk, hardcore, oi, and rock sounds appealing to you, The Deal will probably be your new favorite band.
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