Deaf Radio

Alarm  – Vinyl // CD // DD

Self-released:  January 9, 2017

Reviewed by Zachary “+Norway+” Turner

Lineup:
Panos Gklinos (Vocals & Guitars)
Dimitris Sakellariou (Guitars & Vocals)
Antonis Mantakas (Bass & Backing Vocals)
George Diathesopoulos (Drums & Backings Vocals)
Honorary Member : Vassilis Petris

Previous Releases:
A two track E.P. from 2015 “Deaf Radio”, containing; “Down On Her Knees” & “No Hay Banda”

Tracklist:
Aggravation                                       03:25
Backseats                                           05:06
Vultures & Killers                            04:11
Anytime                                             05:03
Flowerhead                                       04:32
Revolving Doors                              04:32
Trapped                                             03:01
Oceanic Feeling                               04:23
…And We Just Pressed The Alarm Button 06:05

Review:

Deaf Radio are a Post-Punk/Alternative/Hard Rock band from Athens, Greece. On their Bandcamp they describe themselves as “a rock quartet inspired by the independent rock music scene.”

Track-by-track Breakdown:

Aggravation – This track launches us into what we will hear on and off for the rest of this of this album. Rockin’ riffs and lyrics that sound like they are from the late 90’s revival of Punk music.

Backseats – This song starts of slow with a repetitive strumming and builds up with quick little riffs interspersed between the delivery of lyrics. In the final two minutes it introduces some screaming in the background making the song harsh. It reminds me of a We Are Harlot song that I cannot remember the name of.

Vultures & Killers – Here we get another change where their Post-Punk influences come out again and we hear a mid tempo beat with some almost falsetto vocals.

Anytime – (Don’t get too mad at this analogy but) this is their Lana Del Rey song minus the orchestra. It is a slow drug filled atmospheric falsetto vocals (like the last track) until the last minute and the music picks up speed and returns back to the Hard Rock that we have heard so far.

Shot by Evan Maragkoudakis

Flowerhead – This song is a lot like Vultures & Killers, almost like it is a continuation or sequel to it. They are structure similar and the vocals are sung in the same way. The exception is this one is heavier on the bass and heart monitor beeping in between bass notes.

Revolving Doors – Here we return to a style close to Aggravation, which reminds me of some of Rise Against’s music. A repeating structure with it being changed in the last minute or two.

Trapped – This song reminds me of a mix of Bush and Muse types of playing and singing. The guitar almost sounds surf like with it’s reverb. The tempo and rhythm change a bunch in this song the music goes back and forth between the types we have heard in the songs before it but it isn’t disorienting.

Oceanic Feeling – This song begins with a simple drum pattern that changes to signal the reverb guitar and bass to kick in. We return to backseats but a slower version of it.

…And We Just Pressed The Alarm Button (Favorite track) – Here we return to the Bush/Muse mix.

Photo: A Memory of Live of September 22nd, 2017

The band reminds me stylistically of early Rise Against and Queens of the Stone Age with a good mix of 90’s Hard Rock with Punk influences. Panos reminds me of a mix of the two singers as well. The main guitar reminds me of music that I used to listen to a lot but I cannot pinpoint from what. The bass is one of my favorite parts of the music, especially when it is alone, Antonis just goes at it without it going on too long, making me want more.

This album is good for playing in your car (on the verge of too loud) on your way to work or wherever (which is how I’ve listened to it). It is heavy but not too heavy to add to road rage and is chill enough to kind of zone out and relax to.  In essence, Deaf Radio have given us a 1-Stop-Shop with “Alarm”.  This band has a very bright future!!  Highly Recommend!!

 Download, stream; buy the CD, DD, and Vinyl here.

Additional Links:
https://deafradio.bandcamp.com/

https://www.discogs.com/artist/4863064-Deaf-Radio

https://www.discogs.com/Deaf-Radio-Deaf-Radio/master/1175259

https://www.youtube.com/user/12gafs

https://www.discogs.com/Deaf-Radio-Alarm/release/9690126

https://www.facebook.com/deafradioband/