Fixation on a Co-Worker
The original incarnation of New Jersey hardcore outfit Deadguy scored a harrowing bullseye on their first and only full-length. Following a pair of early singles, the band brought its abrasive noise-punk to a seething boil on Fixation on a Co-Worker, with the steel-wool riffing of guitarists Keith Huckins (formerly of the excellent, similarly ill-tempered Rorschach) and Chris “Crispy” Corvino writhing above the whiplash rhythms of bassist Tim “Pops” Naumann and drummer Dave Rosenberg. Meanwhile, vocalist Tim “Swinger” Singer turned in one of the most masterfully unhinged performances of the era, ranting, muttering and screaming in turn about corporate drudgery (“Pins and Needles”), family trauma (“Nine Stitches”), alcoholism (“Riot Stairs”) and other everyday horrors. The record feels like a nervous breakdown in progress — enraged, damaged and thoroughly disturbed — placing it in league with contemporary work from hardcore-adjacent mad scientists such as Dazzling Killmen and Craw.