I was hesitant to feature this song by Brisbane slop-metal outfit Black Deity at first. I liked it immediately but was concerned that it was a little too indebted. The singer pretty much sounds like Lemmy if he was stained with hardware store methylated spirits, but the fact that this is essentially DIY Motörhead eventually swayed me.

A lot of the ideas here are so far-fetched from what is considered acceptable that it becomes quite defiant in its scope. Tacky lead-lines participate in a call-and-response with grunted vocals, there are approximately three break-downs and the bass is soaked so thickly in effects that it distracts from everything around it. It’s immensely unfashionable even though the band seem to be finding good company.

Black Deity are one of a number of smaller punk and hardcore bands in Australia’s more remote capitals who are beginning to be adopted into a new fraternity of like-minded acts nationally. Bands like Black Deity, Adelaide’s Simfuckers, Helta Skelta from Perth and Byron Bay’s Gruel are all finding company with the major cities’ much loved punks like Gutter Gods, Dribble, Oily Boys, Low Life, et al. Someone will probably write an opinion piece connecting this revival of roughness to Australia’s political and cultural situation before the year is out.

‘Sly’ is from a 7 inch that’s out now on Sydney-based imprint Sexy Romance Records.

(Featured Photo: Jake Samways)