Deal With It 'Eyjafjallajökull' LP

Right now it's 23:35 and I just got done painting my bathroom. In the end I had to give it three coats. I applied two coats this afternoon and the third I left until this evening after I got home from the gym. The only problem was, when I got in from the gym I was feeling pretty tired and didn't really have the energy to pain the bathroom. Unfortunately though, I had to, seeing as I had left the paint tray out with paint in it, so the choice was either paint it tonight or clean the tray, roller and brush and then go to bed and then have to do it tomorrow... which would involve cleaning everything again, which in my mind is the worst part. So I decided to finish it tonight, despite being exhausted.

I figured that some high energy music was required to spur me on. So I chose the latest album from the UK's own DEAL WITH IT. I actually picked this LP up nearly two months ago, but as usual I am way behind on posting so am only getting to it now. Tonight's painting episode was the reminder I needed.

This is Deal With It's second full length, which is pretty respectable for a UK hardcore band. Most UK bands crank out one LP at best, if they even hang around long enough to do an LP in the first place. So to do two albums in just over two years is pretty good going in my book.

This album is also a bit of a step up from the last one. It sounds even harder, as if that were possible. So, ladies & gentlemen, I present you with the most unpronounceable album title of all time...

If the name sounds vaguely familiar to you, that's because it is the name of the Icelandic volcano that was in the news last year when it erupted and brought half the world to a standstill. This also explains the artwork on the front cover, which I'm totally loving by the way:

My copy is on 'Icelandic blue' vinyl, which was limited to 150 copies out of the 500 pressed in total, and which is now sold out. I asked the vocalist, Mike, why they named the record after the exploding rock and this is what he came back with:

As for the album name, it was sort of twofold. The album itself thematically is a snapshot of the year 2010, broadly in terms of world events, but also on a more narrowed level of thought processes I was working with at the time. The volcano that erupted in January was sort of a precursor to a really really shitty year for me, so in a way it made sense to see it as some sort of ill omen for a terrible time in my personal and global history. On a more obtuse level we liked it because it was unpronounceable. Ergo, in some small way it fucked with people. But it definitely sounds mega metal.

Gotta say, I concur 100% with Mike's sentiments. It does indeed sound mega metal. I'm not the biggest fan of metal, or crossover or whatever, but I'm a fan of hard music generally, and this record is indeed hard as nails. This is my current album of choice for the gym, although it's also pretty good or for painting your bathroom late at night when you'd prefer to be in bed. You should probably just trust me on that last one rather than find out for yourself.

If you never heard this band before, and you like metal, thrash, crossover, The Cro-Mags or ramming your fist through walls, please do me a favour and go to the band's myspace page (linked above) and listen to 'The Watcher'. You won't be sorry.

Also, for the benefit of my Stateside readers, you may be interested to know that the vocalist of this band was the original bass player for Rot In Hell, before he left to get drunk. Just thought I'd mention that in case it helps sway you towards giving them 5 minutes of your attention...