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Two piece bands are few and far between but there are certainly some pretty great ones out there in the area. Gay Witch Abortion, Ocean Cats and The Brothers Burn Mountain are just a few in the region that I’ve watched and enjoyed. The group Dead Skull consists of Brian Johnson and his brother, Dan. Dan Johnson is known for his work with acts such as Pretty Boy Thorson and the Fallen Angels and The Slow Death. It’s pretty astonishing at times to see the amount of sound that a two piece can make, especially in a live setting. In 2010 Gay Witch Abortion was declared “Best Rock Band” by the Twin Cities’ City Pages. A lack of members does not equate into a lack of rocking and this seems to be the case with Dead Skull’s debut album, “BLAM!”
When I received this album I was excited to give it a listen. With a name like “Dead Skull,” I was interested in seeing if they could live up to such a badass band name. As far as achieving a high energy rock album, they succeeded. This album hinges on your expectations of rock because at its core it is a stripped down and bare minimum punk rock album. How good this album is will depend on the listener’s taste and how much they will be able to accept a raw as hell rock album. If early Misfits and Iggy and the Stooges are in your collection, then this album may be worth a listen. If you don’t have any idea about what those bands sound like, go out and listen to them and then continue to read this review.
The rawness of the album is immediately apparent  and the band gets right to what they’re all about. The distortion of the guitar isn’t filled with sustain or over the top gain, it’s a visceral natural tone that carries the feel of an amp that is being played loud. The drums are straight forward and faithfully hold down what is going on. This isn’t the brand of punk rock that uses blast beats or fancy foot work on the double kicks. There are no ego stroking overdone guitar leads or unnecessary drum fills. Likewise, the vocals are for the most part straight up although there are a few subtle recording additions. “I used run around, run around town, get on my skateboard and ride around,” goes the first words on the album. Over half way into the song it falls into a 70s psychedelic rock style breakdown not unlike something you’d expect from a band like Black Sabbath. A quick delay on parts of the vocals in the break down adds to the 70s feel.
By the time you get to the track “Words (You Never Heard Before)” it’s apparent that the raw high energy rock feel of this album is completely intentional and unapologetic. The riffs on the album make up for how stripped down it is. Keeping things interesting with one guitar in a rock band isn’t an easy task. Melodic flare is mixed together with driving rhythm. This is well demonstrated on the song “Let it Go” where there is quick hammering adding some depth on top of strummed parts.
Dead Skull found a sound with this album and they just went with it head on. There are few frills in “BLAM!” and as the album’s title would suggest, it stays in your face the entire time. While I’m not going to say this is the most mind blowing rock album ever, it does make me want to see Dead Skull live because I get the feeling that the full energy of what they are going for would be from watching them play at a basement show or dive bar.