Californian 90s stoner metal troupe, Dear Deceased (with former High On Fire and Operator Generator members), have just shared a visualizer video for their track, “Traffic.” This comes as they prepare for the special reissue of their early material through the Ripple Music record label. Part of Ripple’s Beneath The Desert Floor vinyl series, it is due out on December 6th. Check out the new video and more below.
Pre-order Dear Deceased here: https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/beneath-the-desert-floor-chapter-7-dear-deceased
US pre-order here: https://ripplemusic.bigcartel.com/product/beneath-the-desert-floor-chapter-7-dear-deceased
Dear Deceased formed in San Jose, CA, in 1990. Their heavy, rhythmic sound and complex arrangements took form out of the ashes bands whose members were influenced by everything from West Coast crossover thrash to post-punk, glam rock, industrial, grunge, British heavy metal and especially, Black Sabbath. The band was vocalist Erik Kliever, rhythm guitarist George Rice (original bassist for High on Fire), bassist Mitchell French (also Operator Generator), guitarist Ryan Landes and drummer Chris Musgrave.
The material flowed from the quartet, but they lacked a frontman. So the band continued to play instrumentally until one pivotal show when the audience got a surprise. Nobody in the crowd knew Dear Deceased had invited a vocalist to join them onstage to have a go at singing live. Emerging from the audience, clutching the mic, the unknown singer belted out a song. His soaring vocals meshed perfectly with the band’s angular riffs and pummeling rhythm section. They now had their vocalist.
With the lineup complete, Dear Deceased immediately booked a recording session at House of Faith, the Bay Area studio known for punk and metal run by the masterful Bart Thurber. Initially distributed as cassettes, these recordings soon became coveted cult items among fans. Before long, the band was selling out shows with their intense, live performances. Dear Deceased’s remarkable sound soon caught the attention of record labels. Yet despite the interest, the band dissolved before a label deal could materialize. Lacking the widespread distribution of the pre-streaming era, the music faded into relative obscurity.
Fast forward to years later, when Thurber came across the master tape in his archives. This find led to a revival of Dear Deceased’s music, with Ripple Music stepping in to give the songs a proper release. A new rendition of the band’s art, has been re-drawn by long-time friend Rob Klem in keeping with the band’s original vision and includes an insert with archival photos by Brandy Bennet Jordan.
Dear Deceased is the seventh chapter of Californian music label Ripple Music’s Beneath The Desert Floor series, which unearths long-lost treasures from the golden days of stoner and desert rock, such as releases from Fireball Ministry, The Awesome Machine, Glitter Wizard, Witch White Canyon, Rollerball or the Sabians.
Dear Deceased tracklisting:
01 Traffic
02 Better Than Life
03 River
04 Take Me to the Open
05 Wide Eyed
06 Loaded
07 Beez
08 Deeper Then the Well Goes
Band lineup:
Mitchell French – Bass
Erik Kliever – Vocals
Ryan Landes – Guitar
Chris Musgrave – Drums
George Rice – Guitar and Bass