Crank the volume up, move your furniture out of the way and turn this track on. Quarantine or not, you will feel like you’re back at the gig. Duke of Vandals took a shows worth of raw, fierce energy and packed it into their new single “Young Offender”.
If you aren’t familiar with this insane Brooklyn trio, then you’ve certainly been missing out. Duke of Vandals has been playing some of the loudest, thrashiest sets in the area for the last few years, and now, in this time of isolation, they have blessed us with a new track that we can all mosh to separately, but together.
“Young Offender” starts with a solo bass line joined by climbing feedback. Once the guitar kicks in, it’s all over, you’re hooked, you can’t sit still through this one. The vocals are mean, in your face, but catchy as all hell. With the co-ed screaming, you feel like you’re in the room with them, you can’t help but sing along. The distorted guitar and overall HUGE intensity of the mix makes you feel like your at CBGB’s in the 70’s. Crush your beer and throw it to the front because the song’s only about halfway through still. “They want you dead! They want you dead!” it’s completely addicting. Before the song comes to a close, Duke of Vandals blesses you with a heavy as hell breakdown, then a (spoiler alert) false ending, before it comes back heavier and hairier than before. If you weren’t moving before this, you HAVE to be thrashing around now. Once it’s done, crack open a new beer and start the song again, because we know you want to.
