DEADLY VIPERS “Cataclysmic Events”
(King Pizza Records)



Pointlessly gendering a band when describing them is an easy trap to fall into. Catch phrases like “female-fronted” and “girl band” (no, not the guys on Rough Trade) get tossed around a lot when humans with XX chromosomes are involved. To me what matters is if what I’m listening to is good. Let’s apply that to Deadly Vipers. They are a 4 piece band from Detroit, they happen to be all women, and their sound fills is like a cross of White Lung and Red Fang. That happy place between riot grrrl punk and doom metal is where they reside. To answer the most important question: yes they are good.

The EP is 4 tracks long and left me wanting more. I barely had time to blink before they were done. I was satisfied by the dense lyrical content, solid drumming, and the heavy riffs. Their Motor City grit, vocals more on the punk side, and early Sabbath influences show throughout. Just don’t mistake them for a female Ozzy Osborne gimmick coming to you in a pink box with the DreamHouse sold separately. Even from the brief glimpse I got from the tape it’s already clear to me that this band is so much more than that.  Stream and/or buy from the link below.



-- Roy Blumenfeld