London punks Eat Dirt have been making waves in the underground world for quite some time. Now having signed to Bearded Punk Records, they’re following up an appearance at Manchester Punk Festival with the release of their debut album, ‘Death Is Death’. With only five of the 14 songs go over the two-minute mark, it’s obvious what kind of music they’ll be making.

Opener ‘Make Peace’ sets a blueprint for their music. Pounding drums and riffs ala Sex Pistols, it is punk through and through, unashamedly.

The riffage throughout is pleasing for anyone who is a fan of guitar driven music, with tracks like ‘Pull Out’, ‘Dog’ (which reminiscent of early Rise Against and Beartooth) and ‘Punk Rock Con’ having some of the best guitar pieces.

Musical variation is few and far between, however. A little game-like voice introducing the title track, a more pop-punk spin on ‘Come And See’ and cleaner vocals on some tracks, most successfully ‘Moribund’, is about as experimental as we get. That’s where the record falls short – in trying to be explicitly “punk”, they’ve failed to set themselves apart from other bands in the same scene. The pace rarely changes proving to be shortcoming when you’ve got 14 tracks.

One notable point ‘Death Is Death’ does have and that is its production. Throughout it maintains a raw edge, and avoids losing the angsty vocals in the mix. Its title track along with ‘Punk Rock Con’ thrives and sees the vocals at the forefront.

In reality, they have more in common with your local punk acts that tear down tiny venues than they do mainstream punk. But there’s nothing more punk than that, is there? Understandably, Eat Dirt aren’t trying to be the next break out band, instead, sticking to what they know. And they’re clearly fine with that. ‘Death Is Death’ is your run-of-the-mill DIY punk record, that comes and goes with little variation.

3/5

‘Death Is Death’ by Eat Dirt is out now on Bearded Punk Records.

Eat Dirt links: Website | Facebook

Words by Sam Higson-Blythe