Drop Dead, Gorgeous

In the pantheon of keyboard-playing post-hardcore screamo bands, Drop Dead, Gorgeous has always ranked among the more tolerable. A dubious honor, perhaps, given that said genre is quickly becoming a victim of its own popularity. But on The Hot N’ Heavy, the band’s third full-length, Drop Dead, Gorgeous makes a case for itself as a band that can survive the impending shark-jump of the screamo scene and live to holler another day. Comparisons to genre-mates Underoath are particularly easy to make on The Hot N’ Heavy, as producer Matt Goldman, who also co-produced the last two Underoath discs, takes more or less the same approach here, crafting titanic drums that lock impeccably with chunky, overdriven guitars. Vocally DDG frontman Danny Stillman sets himself apart with his disgusted, emotive and, at times, downright petulant vocals. Lyrically however, Stillman regurgitates enough obligatory platitudes, drug references and youthful angst to kill a horse, or at least beat one that’s already dead. If you’re looking for intellectual insight, you’re in the wrong place. But if you’re looking for a sonically spotless, riff-filled and surprisingly accessible take on the screamo aesthetic, The Hot N’ Heavy will definitely do you right.