The foundation for Pittsburgh hardcore band ...By the Deed stretches back more than a decade. “Funny enough, I first wanted to start a band like this in 2013 with Dooger specifically, but when I first approached him about the idea, he wasn’t available,” drummer Penny explains to No Echo. “10 years went by… I made a post on IG, seeing if anyone wanted to play heavy ’90s-style metallic hardcore that was also explicitly anarchist and uncompromising in those specific beliefs. He was the first to respond.”
What followed was a slow but deliberate build. Penny and Dooger began jamming as a duo before eventually bringing in Haru and Teej in early 2024 to complete the lineup. After coalescing in their jam room, ...By the Deed's stylistic approach was cemented. “Violently emotive,” Penny says about the band's sound. “It’s not enough to just say we’re influenced by bands of the ’90s sound-wise, but the unwavering conviction many of those bands aspired to live by.”
Drawing heavily from '90s New York bands—Indecision, Snapcase, One King Down—...By the Deed's latest material leans even darker. “This new EP we’re putting out is darker, heavier, and that is intentional,” Penny adds, pointing to influences like Disembodied, Turmoil, Bloodlet, Deadguy, and Trial.
That progression takes shape on their new EP, The Doorway, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Owen Traynor. “He had a big hand in pushing us to achieve the sound we were going for,” Penny says. “It sounds menacing, meaner, but still like us.” Even down to the technical details, the band made intentional choices—like Penny sticking to a single kick drum. “I’m really stubborn about not switching to double kick… I just don’t think you need it to be heavy, and this EP might be my best example of proof for that.”
No Echo is premiering one of the EP’s standout tracks, “Life.Love.Revenge.,” a song that captures both the band's sonic weight and ideological core:
Lyrically, The Doorway is as direct as it is uncompromising. “It’s influenced by the harsh reality of seeing genocide in the name of capitalism and racism in real time, daily,” Penny says. “Mask-off fascism… the dehumanization, kidnapping, and disappearing of our neighbors… the continued dehumanizing of trans people in the US and their desire to wipe us out of existence.” The band doesn’t frame their perspective in optimistic terms. “Life simply isn’t posi, and neither are we,” Penny adds, “but that doesn’t mean we abandon our responsibility to ourselves and each other.”
Coming out of Southwestern Pennsylvania, ...By the Deed exists in a scene that’s both active and fragmented. “Like the city of Pittsburgh itself, the scene here is small, fractured, but notable among certain subcultural circles,” vocalist Teej explains to No Echo. “Pittsburgh does tend to get skipped over a lot, so we have to give credit to folks (and their sick bands) like Adam from No Time, Justin from Illiterates, Jon and Krystina from Peace Talks, Oyo from Complete Fucker, to name a few, who bend over backward to bring bands here and keep the scene thriving.”
Teej also points to a wide range of current bands worth checking out: Madman, EKGs, United Stare, Short Leash, Nasty Nancy, Speed Plans, Ultimatum, Switch Hitter, Spiral, God Plutonium, Snarling Dogs, Unreal City, and “of course… the almighty Concealed Blade (who are definitely still a band).”
At the same time, ...By the Deed are aware they don’t slot neatly into any one pocket of that ecosystem. “On a podcast that featured our demo from 2024, one of the hosts, originally from Pittsburgh himself, said, ‘I don’t know if there’s really a scene for this in Pittsburgh right now.’ And we actually agree,” Teej says. “While members of ...By the Deed are part of the scene here as fans and peers, as a band we don’t really fit in seamlessly anywhere within the city limits.”
At the same time, ...By the Deed are aware that they don’t neatly fit into any one pocket. “We don’t really fit in seamlessly anywhere within the city limits,” Teej says. “We play a very niche, ‘time and place’ style of heavy hardcore… that we feel like most in the city don’t really know what to do with in 2026.” Rather than seeing that as a limitation, the band embraces it, continuing to push a sound that pulls directly from one of hardcore’s most intense eras.
Looking ahead, the band is keeping the momentum moving. Alongside The Doorway, they’re also releasing a remixed and remastered version of their 2024 demo and hitting the road for a short run of shows, including dates in Huntington, Asheville, and a hometown EP release show in Pittsburgh. “If you’re considering traveling to any show of ours this year, make it this one,” Penny says.
The record release show will take place on Sunday, July 5th, at Spirit Hall, with Bolt Action, Body Farm, Wrung, and other bands to be announced soon. This will also double as a benefit for families impacted by ICE kidnappings. If you’re considering traveling to any of our shows this year, make it this one.
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The CD and cassette version of The Doorway is available for pre-order here.
...By the Deed on social media: Instagram
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