Review: Duel ‘Breakfast With Death’

Admittedly, I was a bit of a latecomer to Austin, Texas’s Duel. They had been on ‘my list’ for some time, but finally, in 2020, with my shop closed due to Covid, I took the opportunity to catch up on many things, including tackling my massive music list. Starting with their 2016 debut, Fears Of The Dead, I was at once struck by their distinctive take on proto-metal-tinged stoner rock, along with their visual aesthetic, as the album cover was striking and memorable.

While not necessarily breaking new ground musically, their charging, heavy yet melodic attack, that features hints of Texas boogie rock and psychedelic oddness, coupled with Tom Frank’s unique vocals, separate Duel from the run-of-the-mill stoner rock bands, endlessly recycling Kyuss or Sleep riffs. I’ve since become a fan and find that both 2019’s Valley Of Shadows, and 2021’s In Carne Persona are in regular rotation while I’m working, and the band’s discography routinely shows up on my playlists.

Duel are also one of the more prolific bands currently operating in the heavy rock underground, so I wasn’t surprised to see their latest record showing up a year after their live album Live At Hellfest. Breakfast With Death takes many of the ideas and sounds Duel had been developing over the course of their last few releases, and expands on them, proffering a massive, eccentric, heavy, yet catchy platter of grimy rock and roll.

Opening with Ancient Moonlight, Duel waste zero time as the hammering shove of bassist Drew Potter and drummer Patrick ‘Scooch’ Pascucci rhythms anchor the dirty riffs from guitarists Tom Frank and Jeff Henson as Duel present an album opener that’s all at once heavy, captivating, pummeling, and weird.

The first single Satan’s Invention is described by the band themselves as a ‘Thin Lizzy – Sequel rocker’ which is more apt of a description of this track as I could muster. Packed to the gills with fuzzy, melodious riffing, Frank’s soaring vocals and enough dual guitar harmonizing to please even the most jaded of rockers. Chaos Reigns presents initially as an enormous, chugging, mid-tempo riff monster before spiraling into a galloping, punk-infused wrecking ball.

a massive, eccentric, heavy, yet catchy platter of grimy rock and roll…

Meanwhile, Fallacy is another heavy, battering, up-tempo rocker, that boasts inimitable, soaring vocals and plenty of twists and turns, providing a deft balance between heavy and catchy. Final single, Pyro, is a badass, no-nonsense, punked up rocker wherein Pascucci beats are instantly hammered into the listener’s psyche. Duel’s Thin Lizzy-isms resurface on the epic, charging Berserker, which features all sorts of killer lead work and palm-muted riffage which stabilizes the band’s rhythmic battering.

Up next is the song that turned out to be my favorite on Breakfast With Death, the utterly unstoppable, heavy rock and roll of Tigers Of Destruction. Not only does it boast some of the nastiest, grimiest riffs in the band’s catalog, but paired with Frank’s awesome delivery and total earworm chorus make this one of the best tracks I’ve heard this year. Needless to say, I gave the ‘repeat’ button a workout on this track as I was absorbing the album. The penultimate Greet The Dead is a monstrous, bash-fest, while closer Burn The Earth is an immense, pounding, epic track that displays many twists, turns and an angry, empathic chorus, that puts the stamp on Breakfast With Death.

As always, the guitar tones from Frank and Henson are awesome, heavy, grimy and fuzzy, while the rhythm section excels as the pounding anchor behind it all. Frank’s vocals, sounding at times like a howling cross between Big Business/Melvins Jared Warren and Entombed’s legendary LG Petrov (RIP), are the Duel’s secret weapon, as his voice, delivery and cadence stand out amongst most of the bands that dwell in this genre.

Breakfast With Death also boasts another killer album cover as the cherry on top of the music within. The band have delivered yet another great record, taking their overall sound and aural approach up a notch. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this album somewhere on my year end list, I’ve listened to it a lot and it’s certainly among the best I’ve heard this year.

Label: Heavy Psych Sounds
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram

Scribed by: Martin Williams