It’s amazing that a band whose name centres around a joke – Deez Nuts – have lasted this long without calling it a day. It’s even more unbelievable that there’s no well-known band called ‘The Updogs’, but that’s a tangent which belongs in its own article. Deez Nuts, the unashamedly macho, Australian hardcore squad, have been around since 2007 and their long running campaign against ‘the haters’ is clearly still going strong on their new record ‘Word Is Bond’.
Being flippant about Deez Nuts’s brand of hardcore is all too easy – the band have managed to carve out way more than a niche following from it. Maybe it’s the addictive mixture of New York Hardcore riffs and breakdowns coupled with an occasional rap. Either way, dissecting how Deez Nuts have come this far is pointless as ‘Word is Bond’ is a really enjoyable album, all the more so if you don’t look past its surface.
Things really kick off on the second track, ‘Yesterday’, in which JJ Peters spits out vocals with ferocity, with a few breakdowns to pace things out. Luckily, there’s enough of a Sick of It All or Madball vibe here to quash possible comparisons with Limp Bizkit, as any rap-rock fusion can threaten. The consistent pace of the album is really pleasing, with tracks like ‘Pour Up’, ‘What I Gotta Do’, and ‘Don’t Wanna Talk About It’ managing to be highlights from a great start to the album.
The album consists of fourteen tracks and fortunately, things don’t drag on. There is some filler, like ‘Party On The Hill’, which isn’t as infectious as ‘Party Song’ (from 2010’s ‘This One’s For You’) – the lyric, “Better hope you fucking miss me if you see me drinking whiskey”, doesn’t do it many favours either. The title-track finishes off the record, and it’s a great way to end things, serving to emphasize Deez Nuts’s overrunning message that the “word is bond” – this track could have introduced the album a lot better than the first track, ‘Word’.
There is little in the way of meaning to be found in this album, with some convoluted lyrics to be found within the rapping of JJ Peters such as: “Better men on our worst day then you could be on your best you can bet. Yeah that’s what’s up.” It’s hilarious at times how contrived everything is, but as mentioned before, ‘Word Is Bond’ is best enjoyed if you concentrate on what’s offered at face value: great production, unrelenting energy, and some really gratifying breakdowns and gang vocals. This is worth a listen if you enjoy NYHC – Deez Nuts don’t build on their earlier material – but for fans who want more of the same ferocious hardcore from Deez Nuts, it’s here.
SAMARTH KANAL