Drug Honkey; that name is just so right on so many levels. Perhaps we shouldn’t even delve into the specifics of those levels and instead focus on Death Dub, a series of brain-warping hits from the world’s acidic blotter. There is doom, there is death/doom, there is experimental/death/doom, and then there is this.

Experimentally wandering well past the wrong side of the universe’s tracks, Death Dub is psychedelic in a way that the flower children could never imagine…and from which they would never recover even if they could. The Chicago quartet drenches its twisted crawls through the killing fields with lots of buzz, loads of crack (interpret as appropriate), and whirring, spiral madness to not only make for an experience akin to catching a delirium tremens wave, but one that is quite engaging, even hypnotic. The distorted vocals – along with everything else drip with venom and hatefulness– and the crush is a mighty one. The big upside is that none of it is boring, maybe even for those folks that might not otherwise be enamored with the musical trips of the doomed and the damned. In the way of pleasant surprises, you are treated to a fitting cover of Pigface’s “Burundi (Reconstruct), as well as a live rendition of “China Black (Pt. 2)” that proves just how well this stuff translates to the stage. Even Paul “Honkey Head” Gillis’ (vocals/ synths/samples) song introduction is creepy as hell and leaves you feeling dirty and a little ashamed for reasons that cannot be explained with the written word. Chilling stuff, I’m telling you.

Chemically-enhanced, heavily demented, and in all likelihood a little too appealing to the crackhead sociopath next door (it’s difficult to explain), Death Dub weighs a ton and will leave you with a case of the dry-heaves to go with those miserable cold-sweats. That is, if you “get” it. And why wouldn’t anyone want to live see/hear life through the eyes/ears of a Drug Honkey? It’s the experience that counts, right? Provided you survive it.

[Visit the band's website]

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