Dead Heat – Process of Elimination (Review)

On October 10th, Dead Heat are set to drop their third album Process of Elimination through Metal Blade Records. Their first under the Metal Blade banner and one that promises nothing less than pure crossover chaos.
With eleven heavy and face ripping tracks produced together with Paul Fig (known for his work with Deftones, Trivium or Jerry Cantrell), Dead Heat take no prisoners and push their sound even further.

The opener “Perpetual Punishment” starts rather gently with clean guitar before it bursts into a riff-and-mosh frenzy that perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the album. What follows is a constant barrage of aggressive riffs that feel somewhere between Slayer and Cro-Mags, paired with thunderous drum hits. It’s groovy and violent at the same time and clearly has that raw 80s crossover thrash spirit.

Songs like “Annihilation Nation” almost feel like a nod to Sepultura. The harsh vocals and furious pacing make you go absolutely ape shit. And if you listen to the opening riff of Hidebound it’s obvious that Dead Heat are proudly carrying the torch of all the great 80s hardcore and thrash bands. The pacing across the record is phenomenal: fast, faster, Dead Heat. No room to breathe unless you hit one of the short interludes like DH Stomp.

The band themselves describe it pretty well. Vocalist Chris Ramos says: “We are whatever people want to call us, be it hardcore, thrash, metal or wherever listeners decide we fit in, we’re that, as long ya feel it.” Rhythm guitarist Justin Ton adds: “I drew a lot from Dark Angel and Demolition Hammer while also sticking to my Hardcore tendencies with Leeway and Cro-Mags influences.” And you can feel exactly that mixture all over this record.

If I had to pick one standout, it would probably be “By My Will”. The track captures everything Dead Heat is about: the heaviness, the 80s spirit, the sharp riffing and bone-crushing drums that characterize the whole record. Process of Elimination feels organic and well-crafted. Every member brought their own influences into the mix, and the result is a formula that works incredibly well.

Hardcore and thrash metal, stirred together with a lot of heart and aggression – that’s what makes Dead Heat’s newest output so damn good. If you’re into riffs, Process of Elimination is pure riff city.