[Cover photo credit to Luis Hernandez]
West Coast band Dead Heat recently joined Metal Blade Records and have announced that they will be releasing their new album, Process Of Elimination, on October 10th, 2025.
Process Of Elimination follows the band‘s 2023 release, their Endless Torment EP. The record serves “as a continuation and progression musically,” while thematically it often touches on the band’s “disdain for the powers that be.”
Guitarist Justin Ton says:
I feel like unconsciously the music has become more complex with the songwriting and how we play live as well. We all naturally wanted to become better musicians and it shows in our music and live presence. Our music is a metal/hardcore twist, but I‘d say we intentionally leaned more and more metal in our sound.
Lead guitarist Ricky Garcia and Ton take guitar influences from Slayer and Sepultura.
However, Ton notes:
…but we also both add our own personal influences in the songs on Process… I drew a lot from Dark Angel and Demolition Hammer while also sticking to my hardcore tendencies with Leeway and Cro-Mags influences.
For his part, Garcia cites Kreator, Megadeth, and Pantera as influences, giving props to Marty Friedman and Chris Broderick for solos.
Ton adds about their ethos:
We are against all racist bigotry in this country. Most of the band is of immigrant descent. We also seek for the world to stop supporting these corporate/political monsters that only seek out personal gain and nothing else.
Regarding the opening track, “Perpetual Punishment,” vocalist Chris Ramos says:
We chose this song to start Process… because when it hits, it‘s hard, and has a great flow. The song is about not wasting your time in life because tomorrow simply isn‘t promised. If there‘s something you want to do with your life, do it now, don‘t waste your existence thinking about all the things you could have done. It‘s a key theme I always try to portray in lyrical form, or even in random stage banter. I feel like it‘s what keeps me going every day.
Process Of Elimination was produced by the band with Paul Fig (Deftones, Trivium, Jerry Cantrell) and will be available on CD and digital formats as well as vinyl.
