Deadguy's Resurgence: 'Basic Karate' and the Return of Hardcore's Missing Chapter

1 day ago7 min read2 comments

Tim Singer's reactivation of Deadguy delivers the same seismic shock as unearthing a perfectly preserved artifact from hardcore's most volatile era. For those who witnessed the mid-90s noise-rock crucible, Deadguy represented more than music—they were a catalytic force of intellectual fury that imploded at its zenith.Singer, whose vocal delivery could fracture concrete, now leads a reunion that defies nostalgia, instead positioning itself as an urgent contemporary statement. Their long-awaited album, *Near-Death Travel Services*, doesn't attempt to recreate history but rather extends their legacy across three decades without losing momentum.The track 'Basic Karate' epitomizes this approach: a masterclass in calculated aggression where razor-sharp instrumentation and Singer's unmistakable vocal assault demonstrate that true hardcore operates with the disciplined intensity of martial arts. This isn't a retrospective—it's a reassertion.The timing proves particularly significant given Deadguy's original dissolution coincided with the emergence of acts like Botch and Kiss It Goodbye, whose own innovations would define the post-hardcore landscape. For years, Deadguy's influence has flowed underground, nourishing generations of metalcore and math-rock artists.Now, with *Near-Death Travel Services*, that subterranean current has erupted back to the surface. The album's raw, unpolished production consciously rejects contemporary slickness, affirming that the band's foundational Newark practice-space aesthetic remains as potent today as ever. In an age of commodified reunions, Deadguy's return feels less like a celebration and more like a vital correction—a missing piece of musical history violently writing itself into the present.

#featured

#Deadguy

#Tim Singer

#Bitter Branches

#Basic Karate

#hardcore

#noise-rock

#album release

#Stereogum