Nu-Metal has had a revival in the last decade, and one of the artists in the legion of this resurrection has been Arizona's Ded. The band branded themselves as a notable act since their 2017 debut album, “Mis•an•thrope”, showcasing the absolute feral side of Nu-Metal that became an instant cult classic among fans and catapulted them into the main vein of favored heavy artists. Swarms of us already deep in the fanbases of the likes of Korn, Mudvayne, and Slipknot latched onto it like leeches, bleeding dry every second of each track that we could until we hated it. Releasing "School of Thought" in 2021, the group went in a less unhinged direction, focusing on a more hard-rock, intrapersonal route of false idols, mental health, and destructive habits on each other and the planet we inhabit. Releasing their third and most anticipated album, "RESENT", this thing is an amalgamation of both routes; it sounds like half Misanthrope 2 and half University of Thought but matured and evolved into Ded's fullest form.
The album was recorded over the course of three years in their own studio in Phoenix at Trash Island Studios, and after being halted by behind-the-scenes business obstacles, they've damn near spent all that time just crafting more of their art. Assisted in mixing and mastering by Zach Jones and KJ Strock, Ded has in essence engineered the entirety of the album by themselves. In addition, the band has recruited several dominating vocalists as features, including frontmen of Mudvayne, Motionless In White, and Upon A Burning Body. On the long-awaited release, vocalist and frontman Joe Cotela comments:
"This album is three years of trials and tribulations. The internal battle of telling yourself over and over 'I can do this, I can do anything that I set my mind to.' That was coupled with the anger and frustration of existing in the current climate of the past couple years in the world and our struggles to overcome and remain steadfast in our pursuits. These songs are the angriest and at the same time the catchiest tracks that we have ever put down".
From a debut album hitting #1 on charts, racking up 25 million streams with showcases of tracks on Sirius XM, and nominations of Best New Artist by Loudwire, Ded exploded onto the scene. Their sophomore album earned them spots on the big stage of festivals, tours with metal giants In This Moment & Black Veil Brides, and their top radio track, "Kill Beautiful Things," gathered over 4 million streams and 1.7 million YouTube views. Now three years later, the all-white contacts are coming back out — Ded has risen.
"I Don't Fuck With Anyone Anymore / Everything Is Wasted"
Our first resurrected track is "Wasted", a nasty welcome back with creeping electronics infused. Vocalist and frontman Joe Cotela opens up a sermon of disconnection and exhaustion from others and internal exhaustion. Going from the dreamlike sung chorus to insane distorted lows, this sort of full-on vocal aggression and malice shows that Cotela is no one to fuck with. The immediate sonics you notice through the album are the tones of guitarist Alex Adamcik and bassist Kyle Koelsch—these tones are engineered to grip you with bite, and they do not let go. As a guitar player, I am tone-chasing after this release. Paired with drummer Matt Reinhard's tendency to go from intricate to bouncing to full blitzkrieg of kicks, bells, and snares behind the kit, sets this release up as a haymaker for the genre.
Firing on all cylinders, next is "You Want Honest?" featuring Chad Gray of nu-metal's legendary Mudvayne. This track is a non-stop uppercut to the damn jaw—perfect for the proving grounds of the mosh pit. Gray's unique vocals claw through this track, agonizingly telling us to put the opposition on their damn knees. This was a phenomenal choice for a guest spot on the album, and I'm grateful to see older and newer generations of the genre join forces like this.
"ROCKSTAR" OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO
Luring their 'dedicated' (ha, get it?) fanbase to the album, the band has trailed single releases since 2024, starting with "Rockstar"—a vicious, catchy callout to the music scene and its participants who chase the arts out of pretentiousness for fame, attention, and the almighty dollar. You have to understand it's been over three years since a dedicated band release, and our first look at the new Ded was not only full of aggression, but it was also a diss to hallowed valued musicians and came with a distorted music video featuring the band reequipped with their iconic whited-out eyes. This is the version of Ded that many of us first heard back in 2017, and it was goosebumps for fans and was on repeat on my playlist for the rest of the year.
Following is "Until I Die," featuring Chris Motionless of Motionless in White; it's thrashy and bouncing, with Coetela and Motionless trading verses rapidly and viciously. We also get to hear guitar solo action from Adamcik with guitar tapping and whammy bar abuse, along with Reinhard slamming the kit relentlessly for the majority of the track. "Eraser" is a melodic tune of self-evolution, which comes at the universal price of having to kill the old version of yourself to fully move forward. Koelsch's bass strumming dominates through the track, along with synths in the background, making it sound like the song is lifting you off the ground before slamming you back into itself. "Purpose: Be Myself" is an industrial-like track and is similar to earlier albums of Nine Inch Nails and Prodigy, with synths and glitches flooding throughout it. Cotela and the band are seemingly combining both prior releases as one, with messages of not only deserved misanthropy but also self-improvement, killing the internal parts that are 'ded' to us (no, I will not stop the puns. Kick rocks, bitch.)
"Purpose: Be Myself" OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO
"FUCK YOU ALL / I'LL NEVER BELONG HERE"
"RESENT" has variety; if you're looking for technical drumming and catchy sing-alongs on finding yourself, it has that. If you want to crack each other in the mosh pit with nasty breakdowns and harmonic-filled riffs, you're covered. However, if you want to take the world and take a fucking sledgehammer to it, then you made it to "Never Belong". This is my personal favorite, and it's insane how Coetela can craft nicely sung melodies and also have the harsh vocals that almost brush against death metal and deathcore. Reinhard is a machine gun with his kicks and bouncing snares and cymbals. The last time I heard such a human-hateful chorus was Slipknot's "Surfacing". I envy anyone who hears this one live and gets to put each onto a stretcher.
"Dig Deep" is a showcase of Nu Metal's more hip-hop counterpart with fast, almost punk-like drums and guitars, with a djent-like breakdown amplified with a dive-bombed shredding guitar solo. Continuing the respect for the Hip-Hop alter ego of the genre is "Fight Forever (2 Rot)". Between Cotela's distorted rapping behind a heavy bass beat, Adamcik and Koelsch's crazy harmonic riffs, this thing transformed with a slow crawling thrall-like breakdown. The best of these counterpart tracks is "Fuck With it", a heavy marching and stomping track on embodying the full version of yourself after trudging through life's lessons. The instrumental and beat crafted in this one is one-of-a-kind; as an avid Hip-Hop listener, these guys nailed the concept perfectly.
When a band reaches a new phase in itself, that growth becomes a part of our story as much as it does with their own. "Point of No Return" seems to be the concept line for the album; with a vibrant chorus and heavily downtuned guitar bends, it's a culmination of Ded's progress of hope-filled hate and internal repairs into the most mature and interestingly crafted music the group has put out. Furthering that message is "Rise Above It All" featuring Danny Leal of Texas' metalcore act, Upon A Burning Body. Almost Linkin-Park like, with soft pianos, harsh rapping, and a built-in hopeful chorus, it's a staple of a softer track on the album. Leal also includes the mix of anger and hope in his own band's music, and it's a no-brainer why he was chosen to assist in closing off this long-awaited album.
There is this strength within "RESENT", with self-respect, self-growth, and righteous anger intertwining with one another in heavy-filled hope. This splice of the band's early feral work with “Mis•an•thrope” that many of us early fans latched onto, and the more melodic hard rock driven "School of Thought" which pulled fans from the mainstream pipes, the band has successfully pulled both pools closer into them. The mix of ground pounder heaviness, catchy melodies, Hip-Hop, and industrial has made the over 3-year wait well worth it. Put back on the white contacts, the Ded have risen (one more for the road, I'll see myself out).
Catch Ded on their upcoming tour with In This Moment, Day Seeker, and The Funeral Portrait here:
