National Music Reviews
Deathfix
Self-titled
Discord
Street: 02.25
Deathfix = T-Rex + Slade + Noddy Comet
Let’s face it—no one’s favorite member of Fugazi is Brendan Canty. Hell, even the guy’s mother probably prefers Guy Picciotto. Yet here we are with the self-titled release by Canty’s glam band, Deathfix. And glam is the correct description, even if the music tends to deal with weightier subject matter than anything Slade ever put out. Lyrically, it is dense. It wades through topics of illness, breakups and the trappings of fame without sugar coating any of it. Musically, it’s firmly rooted in early 1970, when excessive studio tinkering started to upstage musical mastery. In all, it isn’t a bad listen. The first two tracks, “Better Than Bad” and “Low Lying Dreams,” both manage to lay down a heavy groove while bringing the listener along for the ride. Other songs don’t do quite as well (“Dali’s House” goes on for far too long). It hits the mark really well for a 1972 concept album. The thing is, it hasn’t been 1972 for over 40 years.