Dead Hazards is an anonymous alternative metal band from Greenwich, London formed in 2023. On 20th April, they release Saline, a 13-song debut LP.

The band themselves state that it could be considered a mixture of sludge, folk, rock, even jazz in parts, with other styles occasionally passing by. In places you can hear electric violin, Zippo percussion, nature ambience, frequencies from image-to-audio (artwork) conversion, and similar homemade sounds.

There is a Bandcamp page at deadhazards.bandcamp.com although only a single track, Prime, there at the moment, and there is a video for this on YouTube I bring to you below.

So, let’s look at this.

We open with Rerouting. A deep, heavy, trancey psych rock vibe, with an interesting question about the contents of the liver belonging to the object of the lyric’s attention, it is all strongly performed, the guitar work particularly dynamic, a solid rhythm section, the bass guitar noticeably strongly melodious, the vocals growling towards the denouement.

Who’s Invited is doom-laden, with knacker’s yard days, parasite inside a head, the subject inviting opposition to burn him at the stake, because they won’t get in his way, so a heady sense of purpose matched by the relentless and thudding riffs, but what is noticeable on this to students of rock music is the drum work, very reminiscent of Bruford-style jazz rock amongst the riffs and appropriately good.

Remorse is next, and features what can only be described as the lyrical highlight of 2025, thus.

“When I hear a megaphone I bow

Milkin' my brain like an ample cow

Never wonder why my rent is so low

A silly goose looking to buy some blow”

In length, it is all the threes. Again, the skins work is tremendous, the overall sense reminding me of strong industrial rock, very much one for those of you who appreciate the more tech and experimental end of the prog metal spectrum but combined with a distinctly funky jazz vibe. There is a huge amount going on in a short song.

Unpaid Tolls strikes me as being a commentary on modern office work life, and not particularly complimentary, either. It is angry, disputes, competition, clowns, mute buttons, all wrapped up in a very strong classic rock song which could quite easily have been brought to us by a Nirvana in 2025. I think this is an exceptional piece of music. I love the playful little jam at the close.

Took a Loan is a song for our times, or at least the generation my son in his early twenties belongs to, being charged a King’s ransom for an education, extortionate rents in shithole accommodation, bound on cold ground for such a long time. Our youth are our future and our guarantee, and it is not good for them. A heavy sludge and very good.

Prime is of a similar lyrical bent, but I think commenting on the sheer accidental nature of life, following your decisions blindly, the turns life can take. Stoner rock at its core, the psychedelic nature filling the senses, some staggering good bass melodies here, with some interesting experimentation in the instrumental passage, hardcore jazz being the best way to describe it, leading into a doom-laden denouement.

Endless Delay reminds me of ADHD, the impulsive nature of many with the condition, never learning how to wait. The anger of perceiving nobody cares. This is a slow burner, for sure, a commentary accompanied by math rock chords, but a delight when the electric violin unexpectedly impacts upon your listening senses, the pace dramatically picking up in the final segment.

Mold references Cain & Abel, the firstborn of Adam & Eve, the former killing the latter and sentenced to wandering, but the lyrics I think referencing modern public figures. There is hypnotic thumping underpinning it all, as solid a heavy rhythm section as you will be fortunate to hear this year in a song with a distinct post punk tradition to these ears.

Crippling Faith is a sort of anti-faith song, mixing the traditional view of the nuclear family but eventually left alone in a hall, this is a dystopian track, full of disturbing noises amongst the story, the drums especially driving the nightmare, the guitars at the forefront of the nightmarish imagery.

Lazyeye is the shortest track on the album at just about 90 seconds, booming out of the speakers, dark and insistent in its riffs.

Hauling Back talks of cities void of malls, perhaps inadvertently anticipating the chaos of our present economic situation, everything stalling. There is a deep melody underpinning the vocals here, some acoustic guitar work particularly catching the ear, much of it deserving the metal folk label, if you can imagine such a descriptor. I love the brief guitar solo three minutes in which segues into a very dark and heavy jazz-infused improvisation, which is extremely impressive.

The penultimate track, Tourist Trap, is also the longest at over six minutes. It is fascinating, an interesting commentary on religion and human arrogance, infused with a seam of dark Americana, coming at you completely left field, and no less admirable for that, completely different, and very clever in its driving force, the acoustic guitar staggeringly strong amidst some interesting effects, plinking piano, weird violin. A song from a London band which could quite easily have been born in the deepest boundaries of rural North Carolina. Transfixing and a candidate for this website’s “track of the year” award – it is quite unlike anything you have ever heard, or likely to hear.

We close with Excess, vapid sin, painting his face like a whore, the whole thing grumbling, but lightened when the lead guitar opens up in a cornucopia of notes.

I can trace the roots of my seriously listening to music to the mid-1970’s, and certainly by the end of that decade, I had entered a lifelong loving relationship with intelligent music. I have always been attracted to new music, something which pushes the boundaries. In all the time I have been writing about music, it is fair to say that nobody would associate me with sludge metal, but I must say that Saline is a top album.

It is not a comfortable or easy listen, but in my experience, it is rather unique in the varying vibes brought to the table, and in Tourist Trap, there is a genuine modern classic. Bandcamp offers you the opportunity to listen before you buy, and I strongly recommend you do so for the three strikes you get before being invited to spend some money, and then spend that money, because it really is a very strong work deserving of our support.

One for regular readers and listeners of mine who enjoy leaving the comfort zone.