Hardcore
Deny – Wildfire
Formed around 1995 in Töreboda, Sweden, Deny followed in the raw, pulsating footsteps of legends like Mob 47, Driller Killer, and Totalitär. It’s a common whisper that bands lose their edge over time, but in the case of Deny, their explosive blend of rip-roaring d-beat and pounding Scandicrust has only gotten sharper, more original, and […]
The post Deny – Wildfire first appeared on DIY Conspiracy – International Zine in the Spirit of DIY Hardcore Punk!
Formed around 1995 in Töreboda, Sweden, Deny followed in the raw, pulsating footsteps of legends like Mob 47, Driller Killer, and Totalitär. It’s a common whisper that bands lose their edge over time, but in the case of Deny, their explosive blend of rip-roaring d-beat and pounding Scandicrust has only gotten sharper, more original, and more refined.
After undergoing several line-up changes and taking a long hiatus in the 2000s, they’ve pulled together again in Mariestad, loaded with a renewed sense of ferocity, ready and bellowing to unleash their angst on an unsuspecting world. Since hitting the reset button in 2018, Deny hasn’t been idling for a second—they’ve been on a constant roll, churning out fist-pumping records like the Parasite Paradise EP, gut-punching Dystopia LP, and a blistering split with Chörnobyl, showing absolutely no signs of rust or wear despite the ticking years.
Bursting forth with their latest album, Wildfire, Deny unleashes a raging storm of twelve tracks that just refuse to let up, where the tempo is like a bullet speeding out of the barrel, the vocals are seething with pure rage and the guitar riffs are drenched in a sense of urgency and purpose. Every single track’s a scorcher, but “The Perfect Storm,” “Politicians on the Payroll,” and “Trail of Wrath” nod to the thrashing hardcore forays they’re known for. They’ve masterfully nailed the hallmark Swedish sound in tracks like “Firestorm”, “Insanity” and “Wasteland,” and even when they decide to go the stadium-crust route, they do so with concision and precision. With the mangling guitars cranked high, the bass lines bruising at furious tempos, and the snare drum cracking like a relentless mincer, it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet of hardcore brilliance that tips its hat to a litany of giants from Discharge to Poison Idea and makes stop offs at Wolfpack, Meanwhile, Dispense, Victims, and Skitsystem.
Lyrically, Wildfire doesn’t hold back for a second, plunging headlong into the socio-political cauldrons, the impending climate disasters, and the unmistakable rot of the modern age with unabated power and uncompromising message. Like their fiery compatriots Uncurbed, Asocial, Crutches, or Avskum, Deny spit out rage-fueled lyrics tailored for these troubled, desperate times. But amidst all this unbridled chaos, the album concludes with the outro of the title track on a haunting, chilling note—a stark and startling realization of human fragility, leaving the listener hanging in a suspended, eerie silence.
Clocking in at a solid 30 minutes, Wildfire takes you on a rollercoaster ride of thrashing hardcore fury. The only possible drawback? The cover art. If I wasn’t already familiar with their music, I could have easily passed it by. The artwork leans towards the ’80s ‘retro wave’ aesthetics, with its vibrant neon lights and digital grid landscapes—a striking contrast to the usual skulls and doom-laden imagery of crust punk, but then again, who says they have to stick to the script?
Source: diyconspiracy.net
