By Jim Rowland
Starting out as an art project of proud Native American front man Gregg Deal, and mutating over time, by public demand, into a full blown working band, Dead Pioneers have made great strides and attracted considerable interest with the punk rock vibe and strong anti-fascist message of their first two albums. They’ve befriended Jello Biafra and toured with kindred spirits like Pennywise, Propaghandi, even Pearl Jam. Now they’re unleashing their potent third album ‘Wagon Burner’.
Whilst the punk rock attitude is present and correct throughout ‘Wagon Burner’, aside from the catchy, almost pop-punk ‘Never Alone’, featuring a guest spot from The Interrupters, the anthemic Dictators-esque ‘LFG’ and the hardcore punk of ‘Circle Jerk The Wagons’, the album casts a wider net in terms of moods and flavours.
After the powerful spoken word opening of ‘Dead Presidents’, the album kicks off with the truly awesome ‘Nazi Teeth’ – a powerful, vitriolic statement with twisted guitars mixing up punk, post-punk and alt-rock, and featuring Stephanie Byrne of Cheap Perfume. The equally awesome ‘No Kings’ follows in similar fashion.
Elsewhere, ‘Animals That Roam The Earth’ is a quality slice of melodic alt-rock, ‘Zealots’ has a darker rock vibe, and previous #SinglesClub #DailyPick ‘The Worst Among Us’ (featuring Jason Williamson of Sleaford Mods), heads in an electronic direction.
The message here is loud and clear, aided by further spoken word pieces, railing against white supremacists, fascists and neo-Nazis past and present in the ÜSA from the perspective of a Native American. It’s powerful, heartfelt, and very angry. Add that powerful message to music that is powerful and passionate yet melodic, often catchy and accessible at the same time, and it all adds up to a pretty exceptional album.
- ‘Wagon Burner‘ will be released on Friday (26 June) via Hassle Records.
- Dead Pioneers will play two headline shows in Galway and Dublin, before making their ÜK festival debut at 2000Trees on Saturday 11 July. They will then play three co-headline shows with Petrol Girls.
