Death Valley High

RockRevolt Indie Band of the Week – May 25, 2013
By Connor Williams

It’s that time again! Hell yes it is! It’s that time of week in which we announce our Indie Band of the Week. This week, we selected a crazy awesome indie band called Death Valley High. With ambition and desire abundant, these guys take indie metal to another level.

Their album, Doom, in Full Bloom has inspired a new subgenre of rock dubbed “Doom Pop”. Pioneering this sound, they are currently touring with a passion, kicking ass and taking names, as well as promoting the shit out of their latest and greatest, Positive Euth, releasing June 4th. Read on as we picked the brains of Reyka, lead singer, for more information on this band we should definitely be keeping an eye open for! They are aptly and appropriately appointed RockRevolt Magazine’s Indie Band of the Week.

How did you guys form?
We’re all friends. We’ve had history playing out together in different bands, doing side projects, or just hanging out til deathly hours, emptying liquor cabinets and listening to records.

Nice! Being that your name is a derivative of the book series Sweet Valley High, were you avid readers girl’s coming of age books back in the late 80s, early 90s??
No, just addicted to the twins on the TV show. It aired on Sunday mornings after Dragonball Z. It was a way of mixing Tales from the Darkside and Sweet Valley High. Maybe we should read the entire series for argument sake.

You’ve come up with your own genre of “Doom pop”. How did you get around to getting that??
We were hanging out with Julie Christmas after a show and she blurted it out. We thought it was much better than “dancecore” – something we were called once. We’ve been noticing more and more bands using “Doom Pop”. I’d probably say that Tones on Tail was the first “doom pop” band. Whatever. It fits.

With your album Positive Euth coming out soon, do you find it different from your last album Doom, In Full Bloom??
We pushed our broodier side more than we did on Doom, In Full Bloom. I think Positive Euth offers new, deeper shades of black.

Is there a particular theme/concept behind the album??
With our last album, there were hints of surviving the end of the world. This album, we’ve lived past doomsday and there’s expressed tones of trimming the fat, severing old habits, killing fears and/or grudges, and rebuilding. A “Positive Euthanasia”!

There seems to be a lot of influences involved in your style. What musical influences do you have??
We love Post-Punk and New Wave as much as we do Hardcore EDM as much as we love Metal; so everything from Joy Division to Black Flag to Crystal Castles to Slayer.

If you could pick a song to be a single from the album, which song would it be and why??
HOW2KILL would be our first choice. It encompasses everything about the record: melody, aggression, and edge.

You’ve recently just come off a tour, how did that go??
It was our most successful to date! Not saying it didn’t have its ups and downs, but if it’s any indication of what’s in store, we’re in for some Seven Seas business.

What can we expect to see from you guys in the future??
Pounding the pavement and getting ourselves in earshot of as many people possible, a new video, tours, maybe a festival show here or there, and a European tour. Never stopping!
- RockRevolt Magazine

RockRevolt Magazine
Review May/June 2013 Issue
By Connor Williams

Don’t you just hate it when a band can’t really decide on what sound to influence their work so they throw it all in? Nope, neither do I. Death Valley High’s latest album, Positive Euth, adds everything from the catchy pop end of the spectrum to the hard hitting metal in their “Doom Pop” made genre.

Once ‘Bath Salt Party’ are done with the Korn influence, they suddenly jump to a captivatingly anthemic approach to song writing in ‘The Present’. ‘How2Kill’ adds an indie undertone with the drums and the gang vocal approach, and a melodic singing style that’s evident throughout the entire album. Stretching to the one minute 18 seconds mark, ‘Fingernail Marks’ add the punk influence. ‘Batdanse’ and ‘Cinema Verite’ still go for the high octane approach of the whole “Doom Pop” concept, with the mellow lyrics and the catchy rhythm parts that may as well be chanted back to the band at a live show. It’s impossible to forget these songs, let alone the music. Things then become more menacing with the introduction of the haunting ‘Commit to Knife’ and ‘Blood Crime’.

Finally, Death Valley High returns to the “Doom-Pop-With-A-Bit-Of-Indie” in ‘Undead Eat Lead’. Following on from the rather pointless instrumental of ‘Not If I See You First’, ‘A Little Light Conversation’ kicked in with a slow tempo – slow enough to explore the darker side of the band. Finishing up with ‘Re-Animation’, a sugar-coated delight that fulfills the sound of most of the album, even chucking in sing-alongs and an anthemic chorus that helps the album show it’s potential.

The genre mix-matching can seem to be a bit all over the place, with the band not sure whether to sound dark and keep it that way, or to write some incredibly catchy songs. They end up mixing the two into something that may not be the next best thing since sliced bread, but something worth a listen to. - RockRevolt Magazine

RockRevolt Magazine
Review May/June 2013 Issue
By Connor Williams

Don’t you just hate it when a band can’t really decide on what sound to influence their work so they throw it all in? Nope, neither do I. Death Valley High’s latest album, Positive Euth, adds everything from the catchy pop end of the spectrum to the hard hitting metal in their “Doom Pop” made genre.

Once ‘Bath Salt Party’ are done with the Korn influence, they suddenly jump to a captivatingly anthemic approach to song writing in ‘The Present’. ‘How2Kill’ adds an indie undertone with the drums and the gang vocal approach, and a melodic singing style that’s evident throughout the entire album. Stretching to the one minute 18 seconds mark, ‘Fingernail Marks’ add the punk influence. ‘Batdanse’ and ‘Cinema Verite’ still go for the high octane approach of the whole “Doom Pop” concept, with the mellow lyrics and the catchy rhythm parts that may as well be chanted back to the band at a live show. It’s impossible to forget these songs, let alone the music. Things then become more menacing with the introduction of the haunting ‘Commit to Knife’ and ‘Blood Crime’.

Finally, Death Valley High returns to the “Doom-Pop-With-A-Bit-Of-Indie” in ‘Undead Eat Lead’. Following on from the rather pointless instrumental of ‘Not If I See You First’, ‘A Little Light Conversation’ kicked in with a slow tempo – slow enough to explore the darker side of the band. Finishing up with ‘Re-Animation’, a sugar-coated delight that fulfills the sound of most of the album, even chucking in sing-alongs and an anthemic chorus that helps the album show it’s potential.

The genre mix-matching can seem to be a bit all over the place, with the band not sure whether to sound dark and keep it that way, or to write some incredibly catchy songs. They end up mixing the two into something that may not be the next best thing since sliced bread, but something worth a listen to. - RockRevolt Magazine

Pure Grain Audio By Chris Gonda

Death Valley High, the NorCal quartet Alternative Press described as "a particularly edgy Queens Of The Stone Age with a few stolen At The Drive-In moves thrown in...," return with 'Positive Euth' on June 4th via Minus Head Records. "With 'Positive Euth', we turned everything up a notch," explains Reyka Osburn, singer and guitar player for Death Valley High. "If it was dark, we went darker. If it was hard, we went harder and if it was dancy, we went, you guessed it... dancier."

The 12-track album was produced by Osburn and Jesse Nichols (The White Stripes, Ty Segall, AFI), mixed by Eric Stenman (Weezer, Deftones) and mastered by Brian Gardner (Queens Of The Stone Age, Linkin Park). 'Positive Euth' was recorded in late 2012 at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, Calif. The band kicks off a brief tour, which includes an Austin stop during SXSW, on March 6th at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco. - Pure Grain Audio

Pure Grain Audio By Chris Gonda

Death Valley High, the NorCal quartet Alternative Press described as "a particularly edgy Queens Of The Stone Age with a few stolen At The Drive-In moves thrown in...," return with 'Positive Euth' on June 4th via Minus Head Records. "With 'Positive Euth', we turned everything up a notch," explains Reyka Osburn, singer and guitar player for Death Valley High. "If it was dark, we went darker. If it was hard, we went harder and if it was dancy, we went, you guessed it... dancier."

The 12-track album was produced by Osburn and Jesse Nichols (The White Stripes, Ty Segall, AFI), mixed by Eric Stenman (Weezer, Deftones) and mastered by Brian Gardner (Queens Of The Stone Age, Linkin Park). 'Positive Euth' was recorded in late 2012 at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, Calif. The band kicks off a brief tour, which includes an Austin stop during SXSW, on March 6th at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco. - Pure Grain Audio

Head Full of Noise June 12, 2013
Review: Death Valley High – Positive Euth By Rocki Lee
3 1/2 stars out of 5

Don’t like Death Valley High? Just keep listening. It’s just one of those genre-challenged groups that really does a great job not fitting in anywhere. Can’t decide if they’re garbage or brilliant? It’s a tough call to make. Of course, there is something to say about a band you cannot properly categorize, and there’s even more to say about a band that makes you uncomfortably awake.

With the release of the album Positive Euth, I wasn’t entirely sure about what I was listening to. Was it that I had too much caffeine? Did Mindless Self Indulgence start a post punk band? I didn’t know. What I did know is that, regardless of my reservations, I found Death Valley High dangerously catchy. The first track “Bath Salt Party” was a perfectly accurate audio adaptation of... Well a bath salt party. The best way for me to describe the track would be to say that it was a beautifully done cluster-fuck of tempo changes, screaming, and falsetto. But just wait, because it gets weirder. Death Valley High progresses, and by no means gracefully, into tracks that feature themes like electronica, post punk, and metal. The third track “How 2 Kill” is almost totally a post punk song while track four, “Fingernail Marks” is quite the opposite.

As the track list continued, I started to realize how I felt about Death Valley High. And here is the advantage I found: If you find a song unbearable (it is likely that you might), it should only be a minute or two before the suffering ceases. Luckily, the album has more good tracks than not.

I found that Death Valley High is very multi-talented. The feature has a way of showcasing their many flavors, and with any truly unique band, the flavors will vary. Some will be excellent and some will be shit. Death Valley High has the flexibility and creativity to propel itself through many albums to come, and I don’t really care if I have to take the good with the bad. - Head Full of Noise

Head Full of Noise June 12, 2013
Review: Death Valley High – Positive Euth By Rocki Lee
3 1/2 stars out of 5

Don’t like Death Valley High? Just keep listening. It’s just one of those genre-challenged groups that really does a great job not fitting in anywhere. Can’t decide if they’re garbage or brilliant? It’s a tough call to make. Of course, there is something to say about a band you cannot properly categorize, and there’s even more to say about a band that makes you uncomfortably awake.

With the release of the album Positive Euth, I wasn’t entirely sure about what I was listening to. Was it that I had too much caffeine? Did Mindless Self Indulgence start a post punk band? I didn’t know. What I did know is that, regardless of my reservations, I found Death Valley High dangerously catchy. The first track “Bath Salt Party” was a perfectly accurate audio adaptation of... Well a bath salt party. The best way for me to describe the track would be to say that it was a beautifully done cluster-fuck of tempo changes, screaming, and falsetto. But just wait, because it gets weirder. Death Valley High progresses, and by no means gracefully, into tracks that feature themes like electronica, post punk, and metal. The third track “How 2 Kill” is almost totally a post punk song while track four, “Fingernail Marks” is quite the opposite.

As the track list continued, I started to realize how I felt about Death Valley High. And here is the advantage I found: If you find a song unbearable (it is likely that you might), it should only be a minute or two before the suffering ceases. Luckily, the album has more good tracks than not.

I found that Death Valley High is very multi-talented. The feature has a way of showcasing their many flavors, and with any truly unique band, the flavors will vary. Some will be excellent and some will be shit. Death Valley High has the flexibility and creativity to propel itself through many albums to come, and I don’t really care if I have to take the good with the bad. - Head Full of Noise

Bloody Good Horror June 24, 2013
Album Review: Death Valley High – Positive Euth By Chris C.

As crazes come and go, I can usually figure out the mass-market appeal that drives people to love whatever the latest and greatest thing is. That doesn't mean I'm going to care in the slightest for any of them, but I can at least understand why everyone else trips over themselves chasing the latest fad. The one that I have yet to come to grips with is the zombie craze. The undead have become the biggest thing going, from the slower than paint drying “The Walking Dead”, to movie after movie after movie featuring the lumbering corpses rotted back to life. Through all of it, the appeal is completely lost on me. Why I would want to spend my time investing in monsters that say nothing, do little, and can be defeated by walking at a brisk pace, is a mystery I should charge the great Hercule Poirot with.

I say this because Death Valley High is the musical equivalent of a zombie movie, and not just for the obvious rhetorical comparisons. The music on “Positive Euth” is the same sort of trendy appeal that flies straight over my head. “Bath Salt Party” opens the record with a one trick pony of a song, beating the same riff and cadence for the entirety of it's admittedly brief running time. Whereas a band like Queens Of The Stone Age were able to get away with such a trick by using the construction to beat a lame joke into the ground, Death Valley High's version lacks the subtlety I would never have previously ascribed to the Queens.

The following song, “The Present”, borrows the jerking rhythm of the aforementioned Queens biggest song, and again fails to live up to the blueprint it is built from. The riff is just not quite sharp enough, and the rest of the song can't push it over the hump. The whole thing comes across feeling like an unfinished sketch, waiting for something to connect the dots. Instead, the whole thing is the dots, which defeats the purpose of the game.

“How2Kill” improves things, letting the song breathe a bit more with an extended length, but also with more than one noticeable section to the composition. Between the better structure, and the cloying falsetto bursts, it's the first sign that the band has some real life in them. Of course, that doesn't last long, with “Fingernail Marks” being a mainstream attempt at grindcore. It's one minute of chugging guitars and completely unintelligible lyrics, all of which adds up to more of a question mark than a song. I can't say I understand the point of including such a song on an album that isn't dedicated to offending the listener.

The wild swings keep coming as the record unfolds. “Batdanse” reverts to the slightly more commercial sound, where the stop/start riff is well-placed, and the vocals are able to connect as something more than blinding rage. Like “How2Kill”, this is the kind of music that I could see appealing to more than a niche audience.

“Cinema Verite´” may be the oddest song on the record, because it's the one track that tries hardest to be mainstream. The requisite angst is still there, but the song uses that as a springboard to the most melodic chorus on the entire album. Balancing the elements helps give them each their place to shine, which the song is able to do relatively well. It only makes me wish there was more material like this to hear.

Death Valley High has an identity crisis. On the one hand, they make music that is firmly rooted in the underground, and the distaste for anything commercial. But they also have a toe dipped in the pool of the mainstream, and the dichotomy of the record dooms it. Fans of either side of the band will hate the other, and I can't imagine many people falling in love with both. - Bloody Good Horror

Consequence of Sound - June 25, 2013
Album Review: Death Valley High – Positive Euth
By Ryan Bray

San Francisco’s Death Valley High doesn’t shy away from their morbid outlook on life, and Positive Euth, the band’s latest for Minus HEAD records, further reinforces the band’s steadfast allegiance to the dark side. Need convincing? A snap judgement suggests that songs like “Bath Salt Party”, “Commit To Knife”, and “Blood Drive” live in a world noticeably unpopulated by the likes of Simon and Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell, and the Hanson brothers.

But while song titles alone only allow for a skin-deep assessment, Death Valley High aren’t just having fun with wordplay. The manic sounds entombed within Positive Euth match the surface-level seediness, rollicking menacingly across the sonic map from gothic boogie rock to noise-rock freak outs. If 2011's well-received Doom, In Full Bloom found the band finessing its doom pop style into fighting shape, Positive Euth is the band going for kidney punches. As frontman Reyka Osburn put it, ”If it was dark, we went darker. If it was hard, we went harder and if it was dancey, we went, you guessed it... dancier.”

To that end, Positive Euth lives up to its claims, sticking to the formula but doubling up the carnal dosage. “The Present” bops along with a raunchy blues bounce while Osburn muses cryptically about how “we all bleed blue on the inside.” Elsewhere, “Fingernail Marks” spins off its axis in a fit of proggy thrash, “Batdanse” provides the soundtrack to a dance party from hell, and “How2Kill” does hook-happy goth rock with all the skill of the Alkaline Trio. It might not be the best pick-me-up in the world, but Postive Euth still offers enough cause to get up and shake your ass in the dark.

Essential tracks: “The Present”, “How2 Kill”, “Blood Drive” - Consequence of Sound

Consequence of Sound - June 25, 2013
Album Review: Death Valley High – Positive Euth
By Ryan Bray

San Francisco’s Death Valley High doesn’t shy away from their morbid outlook on life, and Positive Euth, the band’s latest for Minus HEAD records, further reinforces the band’s steadfast allegiance to the dark side. Need convincing? A snap judgement suggests that songs like “Bath Salt Party”, “Commit To Knife”, and “Blood Drive” live in a world noticeably unpopulated by the likes of Simon and Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell, and the Hanson brothers.

But while song titles alone only allow for a skin-deep assessment, Death Valley High aren’t just having fun with wordplay. The manic sounds entombed within Positive Euth match the surface-level seediness, rollicking menacingly across the sonic map from gothic boogie rock to noise-rock freak outs. If 2011's well-received Doom, In Full Bloom found the band finessing its doom pop style into fighting shape, Positive Euth is the band going for kidney punches. As frontman Reyka Osburn put it, ”If it was dark, we went darker. If it was hard, we went harder and if it was dancey, we went, you guessed it... dancier.”

To that end, Positive Euth lives up to its claims, sticking to the formula but doubling up the carnal dosage. “The Present” bops along with a raunchy blues bounce while Osburn muses cryptically about how “we all bleed blue on the inside.” Elsewhere, “Fingernail Marks” spins off its axis in a fit of proggy thrash, “Batdanse” provides the soundtrack to a dance party from hell, and “How2Kill” does hook-happy goth rock with all the skill of the Alkaline Trio. It might not be the best pick-me-up in the world, but Postive Euth still offers enough cause to get up and shake your ass in the dark.

Essential tracks: “The Present”, “How2 Kill”, “Blood Drive” - Consequence of Sound

Natalie’z World Review
Death Valley High - Positive Euth

Californian quartet Death Valley High has always kept that doom gloom pop punk vibe dating back to their debut release “The Similarities of the Loveless and the Undead” which would later lead to follow-up "Doom, In Full Bloom" and now that an EP in honor of the doomsday that was said to be but never was, "Survival Program". It has all come down to this..... their third full-length to date simply titled "Positive Euth". It's an evolutionary that makes the implications that much better and larger for them because this is just the beginning.

"Positive Euth is the rebirth or the reawakening," affirms Reyka. "It's all about shedding dead layers and limbs, and re-animating. We've evolved in the three most important areas as musicians, songwriters, and drinkers. We survived doomsday to be positively undead." Thus this release continues that doom gloom pop punk tradition except refreshes' it if you will. Songs like "How2Kill", "Commit To Knife", "Undead Eat Lead", "Batdanse", and "Blood Drive", collect that essence that is Death Valley High. It's heavy built on the past releases hands down but it really defines who these guys are and who they have come to be as individuals and musicians. It goes to the extremes of achievement leaving nothing untouched or behind.

The instruments work well throughout this entire release, everything is put in accordance with one another, working in terms of following through if you will, bass, guitar, drums, and vocals come together as one whole focus, like a whole circle coming round and round making the material pitch perfect in such detail it's truly flawless yet endless.....

You will not want to look away from this or Death Valley High because these guys have a message to send out and it's that "We want listeners to know that they don't have to feel like folk, indie, or pop music is the instant go-to. We want to bridge like-minded fans and bands to stand up for all sorts of music with teeth. We want to move from an uncategorized rockstatus into an uncategorized movement." - Natalie’z World

mxdwn.com
Reviewed by Birdie Garcia

Pop, Bloody Pop.

Death Valley High takes pride in telling stories with their music and incorporating imagery in every song. They certainly pull this off in their latest release, Positive Euth. From the drop, “Bath Salt Party” rocks the audience into intriguingly terrified dancing. Listeners are hit with an immediate energy that can bring a smile to any face in a sadistic sort of way, and that’s only the beginning.

“How2kill” is an excellent selection for the first single from Positive Euth. It is the most radio-worthy selection out of the bunch; from start to finish the idea of mainstreaming sound is obviously rooted within this track when compared to the rest of the record. DVH then promptly goes back to their danceable pop roots with “Undead Eat Lead” and “Batdanse”.

“Cinema Verite” is a DVH take on a love song... Well, it seems so, but then the couple involved might be running from “Not If I see You First,” an instrumental, followed by “Fingernail Marks,” a screaming emo/punk ‘go home and cut yourself’ track. Both are fillers and not meant for anything, really. “Commit to the Knife” is a must listen to all the mathematically inclined music nerds out there, it has an irrational rhythmic quality that can be explained only as: “pi.”

Final word: the best non-mainstream tracks from Positive Euth are: “The Present,” a sexy Frankenstein sort of song, “A Little Light Conversation,” which brings the listener back to the more romantic qualities of underground rock, and “Blood Drive,” which impresses with structure. The structure is complimentary to the whole story line and then, at the bridge, the listener is taken in an entirely new direction, making it more complex than most songs today.

In its entirety, Positive Euth is quite enjoyable. The value of any band is to be held in accordance with the audience and Death Valley High has a structurally sound idea of its own audience landscape. - mxdwn.com

mxdwn.com
Reviewed by Birdie Garcia

Pop, Bloody Pop.

Death Valley High takes pride in telling stories with their music and incorporating imagery in every song. They certainly pull this off in their latest release, Positive Euth. From the drop, “Bath Salt Party” rocks the audience into intriguingly terrified dancing. Listeners are hit with an immediate energy that can bring a smile to any face in a sadistic sort of way, and that’s only the beginning.

“How2kill” is an excellent selection for the first single from Positive Euth. It is the most radio-worthy selection out of the bunch; from start to finish the idea of mainstreaming sound is obviously rooted within this track when compared to the rest of the record. DVH then promptly goes back to their danceable pop roots with “Undead Eat Lead” and “Batdanse”.

“Cinema Verite” is a DVH take on a love song... Well, it seems so, but then the couple involved might be running from “Not If I see You First,” an instrumental, followed by “Fingernail Marks,” a screaming emo/punk ‘go home and cut yourself’ track. Both are fillers and not meant for anything, really. “Commit to the Knife” is a must listen to all the mathematically inclined music nerds out there, it has an irrational rhythmic quality that can be explained only as: “pi.”

Final word: the best non-mainstream tracks from Positive Euth are: “The Present,” a sexy Frankenstein sort of song, “A Little Light Conversation,” which brings the listener back to the more romantic qualities of underground rock, and “Blood Drive,” which impresses with structure. The structure is complimentary to the whole story line and then, at the bridge, the listener is taken in an entirely new direction, making it more complex than most songs today.

In its entirety, Positive Euth is quite enjoyable. The value of any band is to be held in accordance with the audience and Death Valley High has a structurally sound idea of its own audience landscape. - mxdwn.com

SoundSphere Magazine
Review by Matt Cox

‘Positive Euth’ is the follow up album to Death Valley High’s award-winning second album ‘Doom, In Full Bloom’, and is an “evolution” as admitted by the band. DVH want to breach the boundaries of conventional music genres and “move from an uncategorised rock status into an uncategorised movement”. So how successfully does ‘Positive Euth’ accomplish this?

Opening with the banger ‘Bath Salt Party’, DVH show us their plans for the album with a rolling, roaring bass track accompanied by pounding drums, it managed to raise the heart rate and get me hyped for the album in just over a short-but-sweet minute.

Unfortunately, this hype doesn’t quite breach the waves and come to a head. This is not to say ‘Positive Euth’ is disappointing, because it’s not in the slightest – songs such as ‘How2Kill’, ‘Commit To Knife’ and ‘Fingernail Marks’ get the heart beating and the adrenaline flowing, smashing out exciting and very tight riffs that literally had me stomping my foot and grinning from ear to ear. The band members are all technically superb, gelling well towards a great modern alternative rock sound.

The addition of electronic sound effects and beats into their songs is definitely welcome; it adds a whole new dimension to the music, bringing back memories of InnerPartySystem. The guitarist is very original in his playing; many of the riffs are odd – in a good way – wailing over the rest of the track. Again, there is nothing wrong with the album as a whole. It has good sound, technically brilliant music, clearly coming from a band who loves to make it. So where does it go wrong?

There are these little niggling moments. A songs tend to drag or seem out of place. A prime example of this is ‘Cinema Verite´’, which, with cliche´ and sickly lyrics such as “On the outside with no way in” and “We will never break apart / The world will never become dark” feels like an unwelcome, faux-deep break in the speed and adrenaline. Similarly, ‘A Little Light Conversation’ falls into sluggish tones which fail to go anywhere exciting. The issue here is not with the album, because as a whole the music comes furiously and brilliantly. The problem occurs when there are these slow, unenthusiastic numbers – clearly meant to be a trip into different genres – which disturb the flow of the record.

Overall, ‘Positive Euth’ is a decent record; Death Valley High have certainly come a long way from their roots, and their experimentation in electronic music is certainly a bonus. This album had a lot of potential as a booming summer mosh anthem, which through various factors has been muted, leaving us with a feeling that there could have been more. Death Valley High are going places, they just need to remove some of the speed bumps and the road ahead will be very smooth. - SoundSphere Magazine

SoundSphere Magazine
Review by Matt Cox

‘Positive Euth’ is the follow up album to Death Valley High’s award-winning second album ‘Doom, In Full Bloom’, and is an “evolution” as admitted by the band. DVH want to breach the boundaries of conventional music genres and “move from an uncategorised rock status into an uncategorised movement”. So how successfully does ‘Positive Euth’ accomplish this?

Opening with the banger ‘Bath Salt Party’, DVH show us their plans for the album with a rolling, roaring bass track accompanied by pounding drums, it managed to raise the heart rate and get me hyped for the album in just over a short-but-sweet minute.

Unfortunately, this hype doesn’t quite breach the waves and come to a head. This is not to say ‘Positive Euth’ is disappointing, because it’s not in the slightest – songs such as ‘How2Kill’, ‘Commit To Knife’ and ‘Fingernail Marks’ get the heart beating and the adrenaline flowing, smashing out exciting and very tight riffs that literally had me stomping my foot and grinning from ear to ear. The band members are all technically superb, gelling well towards a great modern alternative rock sound.

The addition of electronic sound effects and beats into their songs is definitely welcome; it adds a whole new dimension to the music, bringing back memories of InnerPartySystem. The guitarist is very original in his playing; many of the riffs are odd – in a good way – wailing over the rest of the track. Again, there is nothing wrong with the album as a whole. It has good sound, technically brilliant music, clearly coming from a band who loves to make it. So where does it go wrong?

There are these little niggling moments. A songs tend to drag or seem out of place. A prime example of this is ‘Cinema Verite´’, which, with cliche´ and sickly lyrics such as “On the outside with no way in” and “We will never break apart / The world will never become dark” feels like an unwelcome, faux-deep break in the speed and adrenaline. Similarly, ‘A Little Light Conversation’ falls into sluggish tones which fail to go anywhere exciting. The issue here is not with the album, because as a whole the music comes furiously and brilliantly. The problem occurs when there are these slow, unenthusiastic numbers – clearly meant to be a trip into different genres – which disturb the flow of the record.

Overall, ‘Positive Euth’ is a decent record; Death Valley High have certainly come a long way from their roots, and their experimentation in electronic music is certainly a bonus. This album had a lot of potential as a booming summer mosh anthem, which through various factors has been muted, leaving us with a feeling that there could have been more. Death Valley High are going places, they just need to remove some of the speed bumps and the road ahead will be very smooth. - SoundSphere Magazine

FEARnet
Review by Gregory Burkart

Last time we dropped in on San Francisco-based “Doom Pop” unit Death Valley High, they were being massacred by their own demonic doppelga¨ngers in the bloody music video “Multiply,” from their 2011 album Doom, In Full Bloom. Fortunately, they survived to rock another day, appropriately dropping the interim EP Survival Program (its release coinciding with a certain failed apocalyptic prediction you might have heard about), and resurfacing this week with a new full-length studio album, Positive Euth.

The quartet remain true to their roots in gothic rock, blues, horror punk, metal and power-pop, jumping from one genre to the next with wild abandon, but they've undergone some more solidifying changes since their inception in 2010, something frontman Reyka Osburn attributes to a “reawakening” phase in DVH's creative evolution. “It’s all about shedding dead layers and limbs, and re- animating,” he explains. “We survived doomsday to be positively undead.” Besides the literal use of those themes (i.e. “Undead Eat Lead” and “Re-Animation”), the band also reveals a musical rebirth into a darker and heavier sound, with less emphasis on melodic purity and more on dramatic intensity – but it's still delivered across a dynamic range bordering on chaotic, slamming harsh industrial noise and synth dance rhythms into bluesy, raunchy rock before screeching back into radio-friendly pop, with the same damn-it-all attitude that made Doom a cult success.

The first single “How2Kill” sums up this plan of attack by seamlessly integrating bouncy synth melodies into a rough and rousing pop- punk anthem with gothic undertones. But that's not the track that welcomes us to Positive Euth; that honor goes to "Bath Salt Party," and for all the horrific baggage that comes with that title, it's probably as fitting a name as I can hang on this short barrage of twisty high-range riffing and falsetto vocals chanting sex-and-death metaphors. It's goofy fun, but reveals little of what's to come; the band finds their first solid hook in the sleazy blues-rock shuffle and gang-shouted punk chants of "The Present," then channels darker energy for the chattering "Commit to Knife," with eerie harmonized vocals straining for release above wailing guitar chords and a guttural bass line.

That sensual vibe is put to better use in the powerful "Cinema Verite´," which tears loose into a euphoric, up-tempo midsection and reveals the melodic integrity beneath the chaos. The band's horror-loving fans get what they crave in the creepy-crawly death rock anthem "Undead Eat Lead," which sports one of the album's coolest choruses. A slightly dissonant, distorted piano carries the anti- ballad "A Little Light Conversation," which may be less musically intense, but maintains the same urgency through the insistent rhythms and Osburn's soulful vocals, and there's a cool '80s gothic rock vibe to "Batdanse," with a sweet clicking and slapping guitar/bass riff combo. Lo-fi industrial noise, distorted vocal samples, screams and low, greasy monster riffs make “Blood Drive” the album's spookiest track, and a damn good fit for my next Halloween playlist – and I'd also have to include the vintage haunted-house organ & piano instrumental “Not if I See You First” in the same package. “Fingernail Marks” shifts the tone into alt-metal/grindcore mode, which is not particularly this band's comfort zone, but it does let them bring the unfiltered crazy. With that out of their system, they slip into a light horror-ska beat to bring home the theme of undead rebirth (both literally and creatively) in “Re- Animation,” which breaks into an uplifting chorus that ends the album on a surprisingly positive note.

After that final track, I realized that Osburn's term “positively undead” is a perfect summation: like a zombie virus, these songs are highly contagious and possibly lethal, and they'll keep you on edge anticipating their next unpredictable attack. DVH definitely embrace chaos – something sorely lacking in just about any genre – and while they occasionally lose the main thread, they somehow find a way to weave the whole thing back together in the end. For a demonstration of how they pull this off, here's the first single “How2Kill,” one of the strongest and tightest tracks on the record. - FEARnet

FEARnet
Review by Gregory Burkart

Last time we dropped in on San Francisco-based “Doom Pop” unit Death Valley High, they were being massacred by their own demonic doppelga¨ngers in the bloody music video “Multiply,” from their 2011 album Doom, In Full Bloom. Fortunately, they survived to rock another day, appropriately dropping the interim EP Survival Program (its release coinciding with a certain failed apocalyptic prediction you might have heard about), and resurfacing this week with a new full-length studio album, Positive Euth.

The quartet remain true to their roots in gothic rock, blues, horror punk, metal and power-pop, jumping from one genre to the next with wild abandon, but they've undergone some more solidifying changes since their inception in 2010, something frontman Reyka Osburn attributes to a “reawakening” phase in DVH's creative evolution. “It’s all about shedding dead layers and limbs, and re- animating,” he explains. “We survived doomsday to be positively undead.” Besides the literal use of those themes (i.e. “Undead Eat Lead” and “Re-Animation”), the band also reveals a musical rebirth into a darker and heavier sound, with less emphasis on melodic purity and more on dramatic intensity – but it's still delivered across a dynamic range bordering on chaotic, slamming harsh industrial noise and synth dance rhythms into bluesy, raunchy rock before screeching back into radio-friendly pop, with the same damn-it-all attitude that made Doom a cult success.

The first single “How2Kill” sums up this plan of attack by seamlessly integrating bouncy synth melodies into a rough and rousing pop- punk anthem with gothic undertones. But that's not the track that welcomes us to Positive Euth; that honor goes to "Bath Salt Party," and for all the horrific baggage that comes with that title, it's probably as fitting a name as I can hang on this short barrage of twisty high-range riffing and falsetto vocals chanting sex-and-death metaphors. It's goofy fun, but reveals little of what's to come; the band finds their first solid hook in the sleazy blues-rock shuffle and gang-shouted punk chants of "The Present," then channels darker energy for the chattering "Commit to Knife," with eerie harmonized vocals straining for release above wailing guitar chords and a guttural bass line.

That sensual vibe is put to better use in the powerful "Cinema Verite´," which tears loose into a euphoric, up-tempo midsection and reveals the melodic integrity beneath the chaos. The band's horror-loving fans get what they crave in the creepy-crawly death rock anthem "Undead Eat Lead," which sports one of the album's coolest choruses. A slightly dissonant, distorted piano carries the anti- ballad "A Little Light Conversation," which may be less musically intense, but maintains the same urgency through the insistent rhythms and Osburn's soulful vocals, and there's a cool '80s gothic rock vibe to "Batdanse," with a sweet clicking and slapping guitar/bass riff combo. Lo-fi industrial noise, distorted vocal samples, screams and low, greasy monster riffs make “Blood Drive” the album's spookiest track, and a damn good fit for my next Halloween playlist – and I'd also have to include the vintage haunted-house organ & piano instrumental “Not if I See You First” in the same package. “Fingernail Marks” shifts the tone into alt-metal/grindcore mode, which is not particularly this band's comfort zone, but it does let them bring the unfiltered crazy. With that out of their system, they slip into a light horror-ska beat to bring home the theme of undead rebirth (both literally and creatively) in “Re- Animation,” which breaks into an uplifting chorus that ends the album on a surprisingly positive note.

After that final track, I realized that Osburn's term “positively undead” is a perfect summation: like a zombie virus, these songs are highly contagious and possibly lethal, and they'll keep you on edge anticipating their next unpredictable attack. DVH definitely embrace chaos – something sorely lacking in just about any genre – and while they occasionally lose the main thread, they somehow find a way to weave the whole thing back together in the end. For a demonstration of how they pull this off, here's the first single “How2Kill,” one of the strongest and tightest tracks on the record. - FEARnet

Outburn Magazine
Reviewed by Dan Slessor
Rating: 9 out of 10

Doom Pop: Self-proclaimed purveyors of doom pop, San Francisco’s Death Valley High made a strong impression with 2011’s Doom in Full Bloom, but Positive Euth wipes is ass on that record in every way.

With a magnificently chunky guitar sound and an emphasis on simple yet devastating rhythms, it makes you want to dance and mosh yourself stupid from start to finish, both reactions equally applicable. That they weld a compelling deranged edge to this just ups the vitality and energy of the whole thing – an offbeat quirkiness never far from showing it’s face – but this is not cynical or posturing, just a natural and important facet of what they do. With the first four tracks bordering on perfection, “How2Kill” in particular could very easily see them breaking out of the underground hole they have so far been hiding in, it’s infectious groves and off-kilter melodies simply killer.

The swirling, spacious drama of “Cinema Verité” is no less addictive, while the eerie, threatening “A Little Light Conversation” pushes the darker edges to the forefront. They manage all this and then give the world “Psycho in Your Parasol,” a peerless mash-up of the talking heads’ “Psycho Killer” and Queens of the Stone Age’s “Monsters in Your Parasol,” which may make many of their rivals throw in the towel. - Outburn Magazine

Kerrang Magazine Review
By James Hickie
Rating: KKKK out of 5

Let’s get philosophical. If a tree falls in a forest and no-one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Similarly, if a band’s two previous albums weren’t release in the UK, can we really be excited about the creative ‘rebirth’ of their third? It doesn’t really matter what the San Franciscans were before – this process of “shedding dead layers”, as singer/guitarist Reyka Osburn describes it, has birthed a very surprising album.

Titles like Undead Eat Lead might suggest a dumb-as-a-sack-of-zombies listen, but How2Kill and Cinema Verité are twisting, melodically sophisticated hunks of electro rock. Being fun and smart? Now that’s what we call shock rock! Thanks, Death Valley high.

For fans of: Motionless In White, Mindless Self Indulgence
- Kerrang Magazine

RockNReelReviews.com
Reviewed by Duncan

Release Date: 7/5/2013
Genre: Doom Pop
Record Label: Minus Head Records
Sounds Like: Orgy meets Billy Idol

Doom Pop is the genre of the day today... “Doom Pop?” I hear you cry...yeah well that’s apparently how this mob called Death Valley High are described on the mighty internet. In a lot of respects its kinda similar to Death Pop as it has an 80’s quality to the music but a macabre look, doomy themed lyrics etc. However, before I head into full blown genre semantics, let me just say up front that I really like these guys and this release.

Death Valley High released their first full-length album Doom in Full Bloom (2011), and whilst I have still to get around to listening to it I can assure you that Positive Euth is a solid album!! More than just solid, it actually delivers a diverse array of musical styles cohesively meshed and cleverly mixed together.

If you are to sample the best this album has to offer then I suggest you get involved with The Present which is a bouncy number to say the least. All the percussive intensity of the best Marilyn Manson has to offer with all the pop metal cross over of Orgy. How2Kill is the bands new single and it’s the band at their most commercial, a very catchy little number indeed.

Blood Drive is like the band tackling the evil disco stylings of Static-X with its industrial metal vibe. However, one of the best moments for myself listening to this back was the very catchy track Batdanse which is like a dancy indie track, incredibly warped, and reminded me a little of Canadian group Fake Shark Real Zombie!!

The vocals are a bit hit or miss for me at times on the album and it’s enough for me to mark the band down for it. His vocals are certainly powerful and work very well with some of the genres the band utilises but seems a bit out of place in other parts. Overall it’s a really wicked and very easy listen, which delivers a lot of quality dark pop industrial metal. - RockNReelReviews.com

Death Valley High
Electro-Rock Quartet get Positive

Three albums into their career, San Francisco electro-rock noise merchants Death Valley High have just released their first album officially in the UK.

Titled Positive Euth, it is the follow-up to 2011’s critically-acclaimed “Doom in Full Bloom” – and sees the quartet (Reyka Osburn, Adam Bannister, Chris Sanders, and Huffy Hafera) continue their quest for world domination – and a chance for the rest of us to catch up with the Death Valley High Story...

Combining everything from soaring electro-pop to industrial-esque stomps and short, sharp blasts of punk anger, “Positive Euth” is both crushingly heavy (“Blood Drive”) and brutally belligerent (“Bath Salt Party”), yet maintains both accessibility and melody, as well as a pitch black sense of humor. “Positive Euth” is now out on Minus Head Records.

ROCKS LIKE: AFI – Crash Love, Device – Device, Styrofoam – Nothing’s Lost - Big Cheese Magazine

Don’t you just hate it when a band can’t really decide on what sound to influence their work so they throw it all in? Nope, neither do I. Death Valley High’s latest album, Positive Euth, adds everything from the catchy pop end of the spectrum to the hard hitting metal in their “Doom Pop” made genre.
Once ‘Bath Salt Party’ are done with the Korn influence, they suddenly jump to a captivatingly anthemic approach to song writing in ‘The Present’. ‘How2Kill’ adds an indie undertone with the drums and the gang vocal approach, and a melodic singing style that’s evident throughout the entire album. Stretching to the one minute 18 seconds mark, ‘Fingernail Marks’ add the punk influence. ‘Batdanse’ and ‘Cinema Verite’ still go for the high octane approach of the whole “Doom Pop” concept, with the mellow lyrics and the catchy rhythm parts that may as well be chanted back to the band at a live show. It’s impossible to forget these songs, let alone the music. Things then become more menacing with the introduction of the haunting ‘Commit to Knife’ and ‘Blood Crime’. Finally Death Valley High returns to the “Doom-Pop-With-A-Bit-Of-Indie” in ‘Undead Eat Lead’. Following on from the rather pointless instrumental of ‘Not If I See You First’, ‘A Little Light Conversation’ kicked in with a slow tempo – slow enough to explore the darker side of the band. Finishing up with ‘Re-Animation’, a sugar-coated delight that fulfills the sound of most of the album, even chucking in sing-alongs and an anthemic chorus that helps the album show it’s potential.
The genre mix-matching can seem to be a bit all over the place, with the band not sure whether to sound dark and keep it that way, or to write some incredibly catchy songs. They end up mixing the two into something that may not be the next best thing since sliced bread, but something worth a listen to.
- Rock Revolt Magazine

Bloody-Disgusting is excited to bring you an exclusive first listen to Death Valley High‘s “Doomsday In The Disco”. The song comes from their upcoming Survival Program EP, which comes out Dec. 21st, 2012. The high-energy track mixes metal and punk with an infectious attitude and is the perfect way to enter the weekend. You can stream the song below!

The 5-track EP also features a cover of Peaches “Fuck The Pain Away”. The band will be doing a LP release party at Submission in San Francisco, CA on Dec. 21st and a music video for “The Twist” will also be coming out soon. A full-length album will be released in 2013. - Bloody Disgusting

Bloody-Disgusting is excited to bring you an exclusive first listen to Death Valley High‘s “Doomsday In The Disco”. The song comes from their upcoming Survival Program EP, which comes out Dec. 21st, 2012. The high-energy track mixes metal and punk with an infectious attitude and is the perfect way to enter the weekend. You can stream the song below!

The 5-track EP also features a cover of Peaches “Fuck The Pain Away”. The band will be doing a LP release party at Submission in San Francisco, CA on Dec. 21st and a music video for “The Twist” will also be coming out soon. A full-length album will be released in 2013. - Bloody Disgusting

May 2nd, 2012 San Francisco based Death Valley High join a diverse roster of self-released and independent label talent culled from 6 continents named today by Music Resource Group (MRG) as the Judge-determined Winners of The 11th Annual Independent Music Awards (The IMAs), the influential international awards program for independent bands and fans.

The Winners in more than 70 Song, Album, Music Video and Design categories winnowed from thousands of submissions from around the globe, were determined by a panel of influential artists and music industry pros including Keith Richards, Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan, Del McCoury, Ozzy Osbourne, Bettye LaVette, Jim Lauderdale, Joshua Redman, Shelby Lynne, Kevin Lyman (Warped Tour), Jason Olaine (Jazz At Lincoln Center), Alan Light (Live From The Artists Den), and Evan Schlansky (American Songwriter).

Death Valley High was named the winner of the Rock / Hard Rock Song for this 11th edition of The IMAs.

Details and complete list of 11th annual IMA Winners, Nominees and Judges available at: www.TheIndependentMusicAwards.com
- Independent Music Awards

Rant/review over; time for fun and fantasy. My hard-rock album of the year remains In Full Bloom by San Francisco’s Death Valley High. These guys have a highly unique prog-D.C. hardcore take on gothic doom-punk. Lyrically speaking, frontman Reyka Osburn draws inspiration from angst-fueled Japanese sci-fi-horror novels/manga such as Battle Royale. Melodic, angular and aggressive, Death Valley High will blow away fans of Foo Fighters, Fugazi and anything on the heavier end of the pop-punk spectrum when they play Boomers (3200 Sirius Ave.) at 10 p.m. Oct. 27. - Vegas Seven

Falling at the harder end of the indie rock spectrum, members of Death Valley High describe themselves as “dance core”, which isn’t a bad way to explain their sound. Doom, In Full Bloom is definitely an album you could dance to, in that awkward indie kid way. But it’s certainly not what most people think of as dance music. Dark, with aggressive guitar riffs and a strong sense of rhythm, it has a bit of a goth vibe, but heavier.

At SubMission Art Gallery (2183 Mission St., San Francisco) on July 31. 8 p.m. - East Bay Express

Founded on the idea of “a school being overturned by all the dark, freak kids,” this San Francisco quartet bears an uncanny similarity to its North Cal brethren, Deftones. It’s no surprise, as singer/guitarist Reyka Osburn even co-wrote a song with the screamo giants once, but the fact that he so convincingly apes Deftones’ throat-masochist Chino Moreno over the top of down-tuned guitar lines plucked straight form Soundgarden string-bender Kim Thayil’s wizard like beard doesn’t earn this otherwise well-crafted sophomore album marks for originality. The band’s bio desribes DVH as “dance rock” and “Black Friday” and “Multiply” (about being overcome by a vampire, alien or zombie) – are standard rock radio fare with sing-along choruses fit for a Foo Fighters B-sides collection. If only the band applied itself original song writing assignments as well as it does to a cover of Killing Joke’s “The Wait” and a pummeling version of Katy Perry’s “I Kissed A Girl” which sounds like the pop star’s head being caved in, they ‘d surely finish at the top of the class. - Rue Morgue

This slick, dope-metal outfit has Hollywood written all over it: the shiny veneer, PVC practically showing through the speakers. It’s got a primal sexual urge to it that only reaches a humanoid catharsis through cocaine or speeeeed. Dope In Full Bloom is a killer rock record – one that gets you shakin’ all over and ready to gyrate on the dance floor – dope-style.?As for some of the songs: well, #2, “She Wants to Kill” has a certain mania to it that brings to mind a wired, scared freak running through the backstreets of Hollywood, circa 1986, running, trying to get away from either something real (a pissed off pimp) or something imaginary. Either way, it’s a fun gig to listen to as we see the action in our mind’s eye. “Multiply” is kind of a slower, more of a “love song” in their tradition anyway, they lose the maniacal ravings that are present on the first two tracks.?Doom In Full Bloom is basically a nihilistic romp, Hollywood-style, meaning with lots of make-up, wigs, leather mini-skirts and fishnet stockings and, of course, with the ever present, axe-wielding maniac (real or imagined) -what would a Hollywood slasher flick be without the “man-in-the-mask” chasing after you with a machete or a chainsaw? Right? And Doom in Full Bloom seems to provide just the right vibe to this kind of action.?While they may have a classic “Hollywood” style to them, Death Valley High are actually from San Francisco and their members include: Reyka Osburn, Adam Bannister, Chris Sanders and their new bass player, Huffy Hafera.?Kudos to them for not tagging along with a typical “Bay Area” sound, and going for what’s in their hearts & minds. While at first glimpse they are going to be labeled as just another “metal” band, but I’d say they’ve more a bit of pop thrown into that crushing attitude-drive. But once you get on into the midst of the CD you start getting used to it – songs like “The Twist”, “Bring it Down” and “Thru Hell” all have consistent attitudinal action. Also, songs like “Cursed Mary”, “EVOLution” and “Mist & Debris” have a feel that would fit in just perfectly at a dark and dank club, where everyone’s drinking Rolling Rock and Gin & Tonics and alternatively moshing or gyrating to the voices in their heads.?While you might just hear them on a local show in SF, like the ones they play on Sundays on modern rock stations, don’t expect heavy rotation to be their future, which is a good thing – for them. They’re better off with a cult-following and a solid base from which to look for inspiration and to gauge their credibility and success.?Lesson number one in an indie band that has no interest in some fat record company’s money: if you’re hard-core fans tell you that you’ve sold-out, well, then you need to make some changes quickly to avert that notion because in the indie universe there is no worse insult than to be called a “sell-out”. Sure, it’s ok to make money, but not at the expense of your fan base or selling your song rights to make a car commercial or a clothing company. That’s bottom-feeding at its lowest.?Stay true and keep that free-thinking, free-associative head-banging ever-fresh and dark-as in driving down the streets of LA in a 1970 GTO with a loud stereo blasting. -KM - Reviewer Magazine

Doom, In Full Bloom is a promising sophomore effort from this San Francisco clique. Dedicated to down-tuned discordant dance rock, Death Valley High flirts with The Cure and Sonic Youth in the hallways while crushing on The Refused and Fugazi when they think no one is watching. Choppy, cacophonous guitar chords are juxtaposed by low, single note riffage that gives each tune an unsteady feel, but DVH keeps them from capsizing with their versatile vocals. The deliveries range from gothic breathiness to slick indie croons, peppered with occasional vein-rupturing screams and Chino Moreno channeling, especially during the Deftones-esque refrain of "Multiply."
Death Valley High excels with their two-stepping, toe-tapping numbers. Cuts like "Days and Days" and "She Wants to Kill" get the hips shaking with double snapped snare drum backbeats and string slacking bass lines. On "Meet Me for a Ouija" DVH shows their appreciation for fast, dissonant hardcore, an element that should be included more often. "The Wait" is radio-ready and anthemic, full of up-tempo attitude and an '80s-style chorus. The back-to-back combo of "The Twist" and "Thru Hell" sound like Weezer - if they tuned down to B. Lyrically the songs are depressing, love struck, poetic, and heartbroken, just like that kid in your Art class.

At times Death Valley High can come off as imitators of their influences, but in the end they succeed by fusing their infatuations into an eclectic blend of post-punk pop/rock. Now, if only we could get them to play at graduation. - Performer Magazine

Death Valley High play a potent mix of punk, metal and pop. They’re fronted by Reyka Osburn (Ghost Ride, Will Haven) and the promo material mentions bands like Torche and Killing Joke as influences. There are several notable tracks such as “Multiply” and “Meet Me For A Ouija”, which make good use of catchy melodies with a strong emphasis on the vocals of Osburn. “Thru Hell” plods along with a strong hardcore background (think a cross between a slower, doomier Bad Religion and The Misfits) and I would also call it one of the stronger tracks on this album.

Evidence of the Killing Joke influence is present on “Black Friday”, which is full of sludgy, punk-tinged metal. Not to be outdone, “The Wait”is an awesome cover of a classic Killing Joke track. It’s a fast paced, fresh take on this track.

“Mis+ & Debris” closes things off on a high note with thundering drums, decent melodies and a sinister vibe. It also has a 90s alt-rock feel, which is hard for me to pin down. Overall, I found a lot to like about Doom, In Full Bloom and I hope you will too as well. If anything, it should inspire others to dig deeper into the Killing Joke catalog, though be warned as their style has morphed over time. - WRUV Reviews

DEATH VALLEY HIGH/Doom, In Full Bloom: The new sound of the down market suburbs that are springing up across the land of no hope. Doom metal leading the charge to nowhere in a place that offers little way out. Parents, this is the new sound of raging hormones in your basement. Youth is pissed. - Mid West Record

Rating: 5.2 stars!

Death Valley High is a really cool band name, but the music that the band using the name Death Valley High creates is a bit more instrumental than their moniker might lead you to believe.

"She Wants To Kill" sounds like a song title The Misfits could have used, but the song that Death Valley High wrote entitled "She Wants To Kill" is a mix of pop, rock & there's a tinty guitar overdub that's so simplistic, yet it flavors this song as well as others on the bands 2nd full length oh-so-well & the bands name could lead you to expect a death metal band or a punk band, but the music that Death Valley High create is a mix of rock, pop & at times the guitars almost sound out of tune which is what makes their sound so interesting & fun.

"Multiply" reminds me of later era Deftones & it's relevant to note that Reyka, the bands lead singer/guitarist co-wrote "Lucky You" by The Deftones!

Darkness and elements of Hell are what the band utilize to create their image & their "vibe", but listening to their new cd you don't really feel like there's anything "evil" here, it's just very modern sounding rock with elements of groove, pop & punchy guitars.

There's a cover of "The Wait" by Killing Joke, BUT, to be honest with you, MOST rock fans will recognize this song because Metallica covered it many years prior & made it famous!

The Deluxe version of the record features a hardcore version of the Katy Perry song "I Kissed A Girl" & 2 remixes that are meant more for dance clubs than the rock arena.

I definitely dig the bands vibe, their art, their name & all the essential elements that Death Valley High utilize to create their mystique, but the bands name is much darker than the tone of their music, atleast in my opinion, and I don't say that as an insult....the bands music is definitely good & there's some crazy time signatures on this record! "Meet Me For Ouija" is like a pop version of The Dillinger Escape Plan in all honesty! - Rock & Roll Experience: Angel Fire.com

REVIEW: Death Valley High – Doom, In Full Bloom

By: Natalie Perez

When we were first introduced to the kids of Death Valley High, we were greeted with distorted guitar riffs mix-matched with pop-punk groove tones, which were later defined as “Doom Pop”. But that was then during the mists of Death Valley High’s critically acclaimed, “The Similarities of the Loveless and the Undead”. Now is the time for, the follow-up’s turn, hence DHV presents to you “Doom, In Full Blood”.

A self produced effort that has boasted the mixing talents of Alex Newport (Mars Volta, At The Drive-In, and The Locust) and long time collaborator Eric Stenman (Thrice, MSTRKRFT, and Senses Fail). Death Valley High features Reyka Osburn (Tinfed, Ghostride) on vocals, guitar and synths; Adam Bannister on drums; Chris Sanders on guitar along with Huffy Hafera on bass for what Reyka calls “DHV’s strongest and most dedicated lineup to date; Inglorious Basterds-style”.

Now to the fun part, this highly anticipated follow up album precisely brings out that “doom pop” sensation that is truly over written when it gets thrown about in every possible direction. Opener “Black Friday,” immediately overrides the listener’s hearing rights, by screaming directly into the ear cannel that gets bang right against the ear cannel’s eardrum. This echoing vibration of drum ethics that instantly bounces against the guitars segmental is unbelievable. Having the vocal effects lash out at you like a tiger ready to lash out upon its prey.

“She Wants To Kill”, “Days and Days”, and “Thru Hell”, are truly the attention graspers that overrun the music altogether by which the music constantly rushes right at you, all of the instruments working together as the lyrics being out spoken is considerably in deep discussion about the pain, suffering and ethics of fear that keeps the listener in anticipation of more. Death Valley High is back in session and accepting enrollment into their pop-punk courses with promising doom pop ethics that won’t leave utter disappoint in its signature. - Metal Maniacs

REVIEW: Death Valley High – Doom, In Full Bloom

By: Natalie Perez

When we were first introduced to the kids of Death Valley High, we were greeted with distorted guitar riffs mix-matched with pop-punk groove tones, which were later defined as “Doom Pop”. But that was then during the mists of Death Valley High’s critically acclaimed, “The Similarities of the Loveless and the Undead”. Now is the time for, the follow-up’s turn, hence DHV presents to you “Doom, In Full Blood”.

A self produced effort that has boasted the mixing talents of Alex Newport (Mars Volta, At The Drive-In, and The Locust) and long time collaborator Eric Stenman (Thrice, MSTRKRFT, and Senses Fail). Death Valley High features Reyka Osburn (Tinfed, Ghostride) on vocals, guitar and synths; Adam Bannister on drums; Chris Sanders on guitar along with Huffy Hafera on bass for what Reyka calls “DHV’s strongest and most dedicated lineup to date; Inglorious Basterds-style”.

Now to the fun part, this highly anticipated follow up album precisely brings out that “doom pop” sensation that is truly over written when it gets thrown about in every possible direction. Opener “Black Friday,” immediately overrides the listener’s hearing rights, by screaming directly into the ear cannel that gets bang right against the ear cannel’s eardrum. This echoing vibration of drum ethics that instantly bounces against the guitars segmental is unbelievable. Having the vocal effects lash out at you like a tiger ready to lash out upon its prey.

“She Wants To Kill”, “Days and Days”, and “Thru Hell”, are truly the attention graspers that overrun the music altogether by which the music constantly rushes right at you, all of the instruments working together as the lyrics being out spoken is considerably in deep discussion about the pain, suffering and ethics of fear that keeps the listener in anticipation of more. Death Valley High is back in session and accepting enrollment into their pop-punk courses with promising doom pop ethics that won’t leave utter disappoint in its signature. - Metal Maniacs

Death Valley High, Doom, In Full Bloom. Nostalgia for the Nineties is the element that drives Death Valley High. Most songs on its current LP are propelled by long, uvular vocal howls and the primal crunch of electric guitars. The band's cover of Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" transforms the flirty pop song into freewheeling punk-rock rage. The odd-metered tune "She Wants to Kill" comes in two iterations — the remix sounds like techno. (Minus Head Records)
– Rachel Swan
- East Bay Express

"So captivated by Reyka’s flirtatious doom-pop vocal libido, I can barely tear myself away to write this review."
~Jett Black


Doom, In Full Bloom irresistibly entreats audiences enticed previously by this San Francisco bands’ debut title, The Similarities of the Loveless and the Undead.

Riveted by Reyka Osburn’s distinctive vocal stylings and the rhythmic intoxication of driving guitar licks and pounding percussion, extant Death Valley High fans must already be hypnotically glued to every minute of audio grinding out of this full-length follow-up. More than just a little catchy, Doom, In Full Bloom is infectious and contagious in every tribal sense that Rock-n-Roll has to offer, minus the bubblegum of commercial pop radio. Delicious audio includes flawlessly packaged harmonies delivered with the bold and forthright vigor of youth and full-throttle testosterone, appealing to a diverse range of metal, pop, and hard-core punk rock fans.

The twelve track full album version available everywhere, while the fifteen track deluxe edition (featuring to-die-for remixes) will be available exclusively by digital download. A cover of Killing Joke’s “The Wait” is included on both editions, with a campy twist on Katy Perry’s “I Kissed A Girl” available on the deluxe edition. - Music Artery

Death Valley High come from a fine tradition of groups like Alice Cooper, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, and Marilyn Manson: bands that write music as dramatic and arresting as their image and lyrics. The San Francisco quartet is gearing up to release 'Doom, In Full Bloom,' their explosive sophomore album.

The record is jam-packed with one hook after the other, but isn't especially easy to classify. "Julie Christmas once tagged it doom pop. We've also heard dancecore, and death pop, but we'd probably just call it dark, edgy dance rock with hardcore roots," said Death Valley High vocalist-guitarist Reyka Osburn during a recent chat with Noisecreep.

'Doom, In Full Bloom' even features a killer cover of Katy Perry's modern pop standard 'I Kissed a Girl.' "Hooks are important. Whether it's a guitar riff, a drum fill or the way a word is sung, it's gotta be something memorable. It's like walking a high wire because we love both sides of the coin: raw nerves and broken bones on one side, and pop sensibilities on the other," said Osburn.

In terms of the lyrics on the new album, Death Valley High kept true to their theatrical roots. "I like to tell stories in the way the TV series 'Tales from the Darkside' used to," said Osburn. "We reflect a lot of horror themes in our songs."

Some Noisecreep readers might recognize Osburn's name from his work with the Deftones on their 2003 song 'Lucky You.' We asked him how the collaboration came to be. "I've been close friends with Deftones for years. We've worked together a few times, but 'Lucky You' was the first to see the public eye. I was hanging out with them in the studio and they were literally asking me to do 'something' on the record. I assumed they meant synth or guitar so I agreed. The next thing I know, I'm singing words and melodies with Chino in a dimly lit isolation vocal booth."

'Doom, In Full Bloom' will be out this spring via Minus Head Records. - Noise Creep

San Francisco doom-pop/death-rock quartet Death Valley High unleashes a sinus-clearing sophomore album that marries hideous, stab-happy guitar riffs (think D.C. post-hardcore à la Burning Airlines) to soaring, arena-ready vocal melodies (think Foo Fighters on a great day). DVH is frontman (and Deftones songwriting collaborator) Reyka Osburn’s monstrous baby, every song’s cruel lyrics mining the same compelling sci-fi metaphor—love as alien, replicating parasite. Doom is also a shrapnel bomb of modern rock styles ignited by Osburn’s horror-fueled mind. You’ll find shards of nü-metal (the slamming groove of “Multiply”), power-pop (the hook-laden “Thru Hell”) and even screamo (the throat-shredding “Meet Me for Ouija”) embedded in your ears. Dave Grohl fans will be shocked to hear Doom wasting the Foos’ overpraised Wasting Light. DVH is my new favorite; Doom is among 2011’s Top 10 rock albums. Ideal music by which to read dystopian novels like Battle Royale. Note: Digital-download “deluxe version” contains three extra tracks. - Weekly Seven

Nominated for Independent Music Award (Rock/Hard Rock) for their song "Multiply". - Independent Music Awards

Today Death Valley High tell us about "Multiply" from their brand new album "Doom, in Full Bloom," which was released this week. (As a sidenote, the main songwriter in Death Valley High co-wrote The Deftones' "Lucky You"). Here is the story:
You know those stories of heightened senses, where an individual can become so adrenalized that they can do these miraculous things? A mother picks up a car to save her child, or even more recently; a boy picking up an assailant (ie: BULLY) and ultimately tossing him over his shoulder? There's these high pressure moments where you are completely taken over by the moment and you can perform things you normally couldn't have.

Similarly, there are times when you are moved to tears; or to laugh; or react without control. That loss of control where you have no option other than succumb to the energy and space around you. That "rush" that takes you out of your normal state and into a new reality.

I'd like to think that "Multiply" embodies these fevered moments in lyrical and musical content. It's a "foreign" agitator pushing you to scary places; both eerie and euphoric. That feeling of your heart racing and adrenaline multiplying.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album. - Anti Music

Today Death Valley High tell us about "Multiply" from their brand new album "Doom, in Full Bloom," which was released this week. (As a sidenote, the main songwriter in Death Valley High co-wrote The Deftones' "Lucky You"). Here is the story:
You know those stories of heightened senses, where an individual can become so adrenalized that they can do these miraculous things? A mother picks up a car to save her child, or even more recently; a boy picking up an assailant (ie: BULLY) and ultimately tossing him over his shoulder? There's these high pressure moments where you are completely taken over by the moment and you can perform things you normally couldn't have.

Similarly, there are times when you are moved to tears; or to laugh; or react without control. That loss of control where you have no option other than succumb to the energy and space around you. That "rush" that takes you out of your normal state and into a new reality.

I'd like to think that "Multiply" embodies these fevered moments in lyrical and musical content. It's a "foreign" agitator pushing you to scary places; both eerie and euphoric. That feeling of your heart racing and adrenaline multiplying.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album. - Anti Music

The Kitchen: Death Valley High (DeathValleyHigh.com)

The Chefs: Reyka Osburn (vocals, guitars, keyboards, programming), Adam Bannister (drums, programming), Chris Sanders (guitars, vocals), Huffy Hafera (Bass, vocals).

The Spread: A blend of punk pop with hard rock and a hint of metal and alternative. Think The Killers with the Deftones and U2. They earned the description “doom pop”. They have also been compared to a marriage of hard rock and death pop.

Death Valley High has a good thing going. Starting back in 2006 they’ve been led by Reyka Osburn with decent success. This is most likely due to a rare bragging right, being that Reyka co-wrote the Deftones song Lucky You which was on their 2003 release (a certified gold album). The song was also released on the album, The Matrix: Reloaded The Album.

When I first sampled them, I had mixed feelings. I didn’t find a lot of originality at first. But after giving their sophomore album Doom, In Full Bloom, a genuine listen I easily found the Deftones hints that were said to be notices. I was also thrilled with vocal hooks and punchy riffs. While I’m not sure it’s a “dark” sound there was plenty to get excited about throughout the album. You’ll read about it in the coming months with my review of the album. Right now, I want to give them a nod that they’re going in the right direction.

Their debut was good but didn’t have quite the chalk that the sophomore album has. That debut being The Similarities of the Loveless and the Undead in 2007. I have to mention that the song Multiply was pretty cool mostly because of the meaning behind the lyrics. “The lyrics are actually about being taken over by a vampire, an alien, or a zombie,” shines Reyka. “Pick your monster. It’s that feeling of losing yourself to some sort of antibody.” How cool is that? Also, I give a nod to their cover of Killing Joke’s The Wait. It kicks ass!

Check them out and agree or disagree. If I thought they sucked the pubes off a teen monkey I wouldn’t have even brought them to your attention.
- Alternative Revolt Magazine

This spring, we came across a groovy new dark-rock combo who call themselves Death Valley High, and their latest CD Doom, In Full Bloom was one of the year's spookiest new musical surprises, smashing apart the barriers of horror-punk, modern metal and hooky pop-rock. Now the band has released a grim, violent new video for their latest single "Multiply" and you can catch that clip on the flip. Check it out!

One of the album's strongest, most ominous tracks, "Multiply" has a gritty, blackened edge that really sells the album's apocalyptic theme – which frontman Reyka Osburn describes as "a school that's overturned by all the dark, freak kids." The new video ties in to that same theme, with the band members being systematically stalked and killed by their own deadly doppelgangers during a chaotic performance. - FEARnet

Carving out their own gothic punk/metal hybrid dubbed "Doom Pop," Cali quartet Death Valley High first kicked those genre barriers down with the release of their 2007 debut album The Similarities of the Loveless and the Undead. Their style injects a touch of horror into a hook-heavy (and even danceable) pop punk/metal formula, which only sets a band apart from the herd if they know what the hell they're doing. Fortunately, these cats get it, and they've figured out a way to wind it up and let it rip. Hit the jump for a mini-review of their latest creation...

DVH frontman Reyka Osburn comes with a solid heavy-music resume, thanks to his work with Deftones (he co-wrote the song "Lucky You"), Ghost Ride, Will Haven and Tinfed, and he's assembled a tight lineup for this project. Since their debut, they've shared the stage with other horror-centric bands – including Powerman 5000, fronted by our very own Spider One.

"When Adam and I started writing for [Doom], we had a much more concise direction," Osburn explains. "The sound was more dance-y. It was more hypnotic. It was more tribal, yet there was underlying melody mixed with our hardcore sensibility. We infused those inspirations as well as our own twists and tricks." The main twist here is the running theme of apocalyptic horror: "The lyrics create a fictitious fantasy," says Osburn. "The idea of Death Valley High is a school that's overturned by all the dark, freak kids... There's a lot of imagery of survival." (To illustrate that idea, the band created a logo based on the Japanese classic Battle Royale.)

The ominous atmosphere doesn't bog down the heaviness or catchy melodies, but it also isn't just gothic window-dressing. Tracks like the hefty opener "Black Friday," the dark and dirty "Multiply" and the spooky slammer "Meet Me for a Ouija" are prime examples of how they bring that darkness to the foreground. There's also enough variety (from high-energy cuts like "Bring it Down" to the doomier "Thru Hell") to keep things interesting, all the way through the massively heavy closer "Mist & Debris."

This is definitely a band deserving more attention, especially among fans of horror rock. Doom, in Full Bloom is out now through Minus HEAD Records. - FEARnet

Carving out their own gothic punk/metal hybrid dubbed "Doom Pop," Cali quartet Death Valley High first kicked those genre barriers down with the release of their 2007 debut album The Similarities of the Loveless and the Undead. Their style injects a touch of horror into a hook-heavy (and even danceable) pop punk/metal formula, which only sets a band apart from the herd if they know what the hell they're doing. Fortunately, these cats get it, and they've figured out a way to wind it up and let it rip. Hit the jump for a mini-review of their latest creation...

DVH frontman Reyka Osburn comes with a solid heavy-music resume, thanks to his work with Deftones (he co-wrote the song "Lucky You"), Ghost Ride, Will Haven and Tinfed, and he's assembled a tight lineup for this project. Since their debut, they've shared the stage with other horror-centric bands – including Powerman 5000, fronted by our very own Spider One.

"When Adam and I started writing for [Doom], we had a much more concise direction," Osburn explains. "The sound was more dance-y. It was more hypnotic. It was more tribal, yet there was underlying melody mixed with our hardcore sensibility. We infused those inspirations as well as our own twists and tricks." The main twist here is the running theme of apocalyptic horror: "The lyrics create a fictitious fantasy," says Osburn. "The idea of Death Valley High is a school that's overturned by all the dark, freak kids... There's a lot of imagery of survival." (To illustrate that idea, the band created a logo based on the Japanese classic Battle Royale.)

The ominous atmosphere doesn't bog down the heaviness or catchy melodies, but it also isn't just gothic window-dressing. Tracks like the hefty opener "Black Friday," the dark and dirty "Multiply" and the spooky slammer "Meet Me for a Ouija" are prime examples of how they bring that darkness to the foreground. There's also enough variety (from high-energy cuts like "Bring it Down" to the doomier "Thru Hell") to keep things interesting, all the way through the massively heavy closer "Mist & Debris."

This is definitely a band deserving more attention, especially among fans of horror rock. Doom, in Full Bloom is out now through Minus HEAD Records. - FEARnet

Anyone with love for defunct bands Tinfed and Ghost Ride will immediately recognize Rey Osburn as the voice of Death Valley High, and his latest band retains the quality of his previous endeavors. Upon loading Doom, In Full Bloom into iTunes, doom punk comes up under genre heading, and it’s fair to say that there’s a somewhat apocalyptic tone weaving through many of the tracks here, though it’s certainly a million miles away from the doom genre itself, built on spiky, mostly uptempo rhythms, and boasting serrated riffs stab and lurch in fine style. In places, Death Valley High brings to mind the likes of Glassjaw or Fugazi, in others Minus The Bear or even Karnivool, but there’s a strong feel uniting the tracks as their own entity. “Multiply” is particularly virulent- a pointed, edgy verse hacking away before the guitar squall that underpins the chorus explodes. Osburn’s croon racing all over-while “Meet Me for a Ouija” alternates blastbeat frenzy and throbbing grooves, and if “The Wait” doesn’t have you bangin your head, you are clearly dead. Wrapping things up with the insistent grooves and ethereal tones, “Mist & Debris” really does seal the deal, leaving you in no doubt you are listening to the start of what’s sure to be a stunning career. – Dan Slessor
- Outburn Magazine

High school yields different experiences for us all. For Some it was the worst time in our lives, and for some, it was the best. If you had a choice though, would you go back to your old school, or would you give something a little more ominous a try? I know I would be one of the first chicks signing up to be schooled at Death Valley High, a place where death, pop and hard rock are on the curriculum.

The principal, Reyka Osburn, lays down the law with his vocals and guitar, Mr. Adam Bannister serves up some infectious drum beats, Chris Sanders melts our faces with the chemistry of his guitar, and Huffy Hafera demands our attention with his bass and back up-vocals. School is in session, and Doom, In Full Bloom is the spring 2011 release that will seize our minds and mold it the Death Valley High way.

With traditionally dark themes and horror laden lyrics, Death Valley High creates a fantastic reality they deliver to their fans. With songs like their single "Multiply" fans can appreciate the impression and dynamic Death Valley High is setting forth. This is just the tip of the iceberg that Death Valley High has in store for us. Doom, In Full Bloom is a sleek preview of what is yet to come and a luscious appetizer to what their next record will bring us. - Alternative Revolt Magazine

San Francisco is frequently blanketed by thick fog, but this time the fog is packed with distorted dance riffs, slippery bass, and infectious backbeats. Death Valley High, the San Fran contingent fronted by scene-vet Reyka Osburn, makes gloom sound good. Osburn cut his teeth in the Bay Area bands Tinfed and Ghostride, but with his newest endeavor, he has found his niche and blown it wide open.

Death Valley High’s roots go back to 2004. While his electro-pop band Tinfed imploded, Osburn began collecting songs. “I wanted it to be more rock ‘n’ roll,” Osburn explains. “More in your face. More raw. I had no idea it would take so long to create this new voice.” DVH’s self-released debut The Similarities of the Loveless and the Undead finally dropped in 2007.

Loveless was an accomplishment for Osburn, but his concocted band of scenester friends had “no real focus on where it was gonna go.” After a line-up revamp, the quartet of Osburn [vocals, guitar], Adam Bannister [drums], Chris Sanders [guitar], and Huffy Hafera [bass] began work on the sophomore effort, Doom, In Full Bloom.

The subsequent songs are a mix of goth, hardcore punk, noise, electronica and pop. This cornucopia sounds cacophonous and unhinged, but the foursome keep it controlled and catchy from the sprawling soundscape of lead single “Multiply,” to the brash dissonance of “Meet Me for a Ouija” and the desperate wails of “Days and Days,” the latter of which Osburn confesses “is one of my favorite songs I ever wrote.”

Originally self-released on vinyl in 2010, Doom, In Full Bloom was rereleased by Minus Head Records this past April and is now available on CD for the first time. “Originally we wanted to keep it that punk rock route,” Osburn says of the original vinyl release, “but we’ve seen a lot of feedback just coming in now from people who were holding off to buy the CD. It’s great.”

Brad Hardie, the head of Minus Head, caught DVH live and was instantly intrigued. “DVH is the whole package,” Hardie attests. “Great songs, a unique sound and backed by a killer live set. Half the time I don’t know if I should be shaking my ass or head-banging.”

Either motion works for many of DVH’s tunes. The songs’ multiple personalities are abundant, but never feel out of place. Shifts of tempo, time and even genre happen within moments of each other, but each tune flows fluidly, allowing listeners to immerse themselves into opiate induced comas immediately followed by sudden frenetic fits.

Death Valley High is promoting Doom, In Full Bloom throughout the year. Keep an eye out for the “Mulitply” video and the follow up single “Thru Hell.” Even though there’s the rerelease to push, Osburn is looking towards the next DVH release, “We’re putting together and assembling new songs, which we’re really excited about.” With an increasing catalog of blood-boiling dance jams, Death Valley High is solidifying itself as one head-banging, ass-shaking alma mater. - Performer Magazine

The debut album by this California-based quartet is a high-energy blast of post-punk-meets-modern rock, like a particularly edgy Queens Of The Stone Age album with a few stolen At The Drive-In moves thrown in, and the occasional high-pitched, Wolfmother-ish howl. There’s a slightly noised-up version of Katy Perry’s “I Kissed A Girl” tacked onto the end, for those who still feel like ironic pop appropriation is amusing and/or a worthwhile aesthetic strategy, but the 12 tracks before that exhibit more imagination and style than the presence of one wretched novelty cover would indicate. The guitars on tracks such as “Thru Hell,” “Multiply” and “Bring It Down” have some real bite, and the drums are loud and driving. Indeed, “Multiply” is a nearly perfectly crafted modern-rock radio single—you could play it in between a song by Foo Fighters and one by Deftones, and not a single listener would blink. Other songs are a little harsher, or a little prettier, but it’s always a matter of degree. Death Valley High have a good name and a ready-for-the-big-leagues sound. Despite its title and artwork, Doom, In Full Bloom is a great summer album, so don’t be surprised if they’re omnipresent a year from now. - Alternative Press

Killing Joke have this occultish veneer and politically charged agenda that has always triggered a gut reaction. Without a doubt, their dancey backdrop and their metal/new wave/punk has influenced everything from Big Black to Ministry, Adam Ant to NIN, Nirvana and Dave Grohl to QOTSA, and the list just goes on and on. I owed most of my musical palette to Killing Joke – even before I knew who they were. The song “Seeing Red” (also with Dave Grohl on drums) blends all of that allure into 3.5 minutes of pummel, beauty, hypnosis, rage, and energy. - Amp Magazine

Become apart of the picture and hear what this band is offering. Find and discover a liking to this group even if you are forced to dethrone yourself from the lazyboy chair you have cemented yourself to.
-Mike Conour - Zero Magazine

"If you trust the adage about pop culture's revival cycle working in 20-year intervals, then S.F.-based Death Valley High is a few years early on the next tide of hipsterdom.

"If you trust the adage about pop culture's revival cycle working in 20-year intervals, then S.F.-based Death Valley High is a few years early on the next tide of hipsterdom."
-Darren Keast
- SF Weekly