Forgotten Gems: Dead On-Dead On

SBK
1989


By the late eighties record labels had signed just about any band that was sort of thrash. Thanks to the popularity of the "Big Four" and thrash in general there were bands like Dead On who were snagged up, signed for an album or two and then sadly dumped like yesterdays garbage for the next big thing. The only thing is with Dead On you didn't really have a true thrash band. Sure that album cover might lead you to believe that this one was some sort of Death Angel or Forbidden type of band. Truth is Long Island, New York's Dead On were more like Metal Church than Metallica. Raised no doubt on bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest (or really even NWOBHM band Raven) here was a band that sometimes acted like a thrash band but were more in line with power metal. A good starting point would be the technical thrash of Megadeth. Dead On seem to get lumped in with Dave and the boys quite often. But here the sound also brings to mind Overkill, Meliah Rage and even a more beefy Metal Church. There is power metal riffs, left-over NWOBHM parts and a nasty punk outlook to be found on Dead On's only full-length album. While for most people the band are remembered for having their song “Different Breed” appear on the soundtrack to 1990's horror film "Shocker" (along with Megadeth, Alice Cooper, etc) Dead On were a more than capable band that for better or worse got caught up in the whole thrash craze and when it died so did they. They did manage a EP in 1991 called "All Four You" but after that it looks as if the band just disappeared like so many other heavy metal acts of old. Since this album has yet to see a re-release it is a rare treat. Hopefully someone will come along and see just what Dead On was getting on about and re-issue it for today's generation of metal fans. Something tells me Dead On could find a home with today's listeners.