Music Review: Dealer, Don’t Worry I Got You Man

By Tim Murr

Sometimes you just don’t need to re-invent the wheel. For example: thrash metal, which pretty much got it right the first time and hasn’t done a hell of a lot of evolving since the early 1980s. Sure, some thrash bands progressed and started playing different types of music, but as far as I can tell, thrash metal has stubbornly dug its heels into the ground and stayed true to itself. It’s the bastard son of hardcore and metal, epitomized by bands like Suicidal Tendencies and DRI.

In the tradition of those great bands comes Montreal’s Dealer who recorded their debut EP earlier this year. Don’t Worry I Got You Man contains five tracks of unadulterated metal that is as fun as it is brutal. Even the album art calls to mind old school Suicidal Tendencies.

The album kicks off with “House Wins” and for a minute, you don’t know if it’s 2015 or 1985. The vocalist has a screechy yowl which fits the tunes well and is a nice reprieve from the Cookie Monster vocals a lot of bands are (over)using these days. You’ll definitely hear shades of Exodus, but Dealer has a more confrontational, frenetic, punk approach. The third track, “Game of Death,” might be my favorite of their songs. It’s a pummeling two and a half-minute pit classic if I’ve ever heard one. The longest track on the EP clocks in at less than four minutes; all five tunes fly past in a blur of belligerence and head banging.

The members of Dealer are true students in the art of thrash. Don’t Worry I Got You Man is a nice taste of their sound and I hope to hear much more from them in the future.

Don’t Worry I Got You Man was released on August 15. You can name your own price to download the EP on Bandcamp. Follow @BlackoutPR on Twitter for more information.