No, New Death has nothing to do with Chuck Schuldiner. A few seconds into the band's 3-track debut, Can't Keep Us Down, it's clear the Los Angeles-based quartet is all-in on hardcore.
"We formed in March 2021 out of a need to play angry, heavy music, and to vent our frustrations," New Death guitarist Alex Kantarelis tells No Echo. "The group came together during the pandemic, instantly began writing, and we have not looked back. 3 out of the 4 of us are originally from Worcester, MA.
"Before New Death, Nicky and I played together in I Rise and Youth Attack, and some other bands that were much smaller (The Message, Madhouse, Institutionalized, The Downside, Duckbutter, and The Knobs)."
Alex's aforementioned brother, vocalist Nick Kantarelis, breaks down New Death's sonic approach: "The songs are simple, aggressive, and heavy. We wanted to mix elements of the NYHC sound with thrash metal, a heavy groove, and a lot of pent-up rage and anger."
Can't Keep Us Down was recorded by Taylor Young, the musician/producer/engineer who is also behind recent records by Dead Heat and Momentum. "We live in Van Nuys, and the scene here is stronger than ever with bands like Twitching Tongues and God’s Hate," Alex proudly tells me, and since I live in neighboring Sherman Oaks, it's great to hear it.
"Los Angeles, and California as a whole, has been kicking ass lately. We are looking forward to playing shows now that everything is open."
As our conversation comes to an end, I ask Alex what the next step for New Death is: "We have our second EP coming out this September, and then we will be hitting the studio again towards the end of the year.
New Death on social media: Instagram | Bandcamp
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