Traffic Death – “Dead End” [Album Review]

Straight out of the sewers of Des Moines, Traffic Death brazenly posture amidst carnage and wreckage with all the bombast of the 80’s metal and hardcore acts to which they are indebted. But rather than falling short by simply worshipping this era of heavy music, it straddles an electric area between crust punk, hair metal, death metal, and grind that is fortunately a combination of these genres’ best parts.

Dead End is kicked off by opener “Spontaneous Decomposition/Nothing To See Here”, which can be regarded as a sort of palate cleanser before diving headfirst into the rest of the album. If you can handle the first track, then you will likely enjoy the rest, as “Mandatory Sentence”‘s tenacious guitar licks clears away the debris from the first couple minutes of sonic death. What follows is an album brimming with ill vibes and certain head banging: this is an album that worships and in the process becomes the artist that feeds.

Somewhere between Municipal Waste, Infest, and Nausea, Dead End is a sure fire blend of bloody grind and gruesome crust. If you like it fast, dirty, and heavy, then this is going to be the best way to start off your year.

Dead End Track Listing:

01. Spontaneous Decomposition
02. Nothing To See Here
03. Mandatory Sentence
04. Gasping For Air
05. Roadside Death Assistance
06. Watch It
07. Dead End
08. Self Inclined
09. Run Them Out
10. Gun In Hand
11. Internal Void
12. Gone Forever
13. Consumed By Fire

Run Time: 24:20
Release Date: January 7, 2018

Stream the entire Dead End album right here.