Where they from?
New Jersey. For as highbrow and high concept as a grindcore band can get, this band is still states on their Bandcamp profile that they are in fact based out of the Garden State, the same geographic area that brought us Snooki, Chris Christy, Clerks, Clerks II, Martin Broduer and Junior Soprano. Whether or not the world’s foremost intellectual grindcore band will fit into such a pantheon is up to you, dear reader.
What do they sound like?
This band has Jon Chang on vocals and Rob Marton on guitar, what do you THINK they sound like?
Why the hype?
HA, JOKE’S ON YOU! Despite having the aforementioned guitarist and vocalist of the legendary Discordance Axis, I wouldn’t say that No One Knows What the Dead Think sound too similar to their earlier project and if anything are a bit more closely aligned to Chang’s OTHER legendary grindcore project Gridlink, specifically that band’s 2015 magnum opus, Longhena. But oddly enough I would say this new project, though grindcore through-and-through, is probably the least blast-heavy musical entity that Chang has chosen to associate himself, with musical deviations into slower tempos that really allow Morton to show off his capabilities in terms of dark melodicism and hooks. This is not to say that the album isn’t vicious or blistering — far from it — but it does appear that the duo have loosened their elitism just enough to allow some really memorable flourishes.
Latest Release?
Debut self-titled full length released earlier this month on Willowtip. Like just about any grindcore album, this one took a few spins to really sink in, but once it did I can guarantee it’s going to be high on my year-end list (and end-of-decade list!). As I mentioned before, some of the slower, melodic passages really stand out here like the ending of “Dagger Before Me” into the intro of “Rakuyo,” and for the doubters there are the more pure grind specimens such as the magnificent “Autumn Flower.” which features echoes of Discordance’s “Jigsaw,” which in may be best song DxAx ever wrote. Ignore any preconceived notions about No One Knows What the Dead Think and just enjoy it for what it is: breath-taking.
