Dead Bars share “Give the Metalhead a Hug”
For over a decade the band, founded and led by Maiello, has been belting out life-affirming hard rock with the same gift for the craft as acts like Japandroids, White Reaper, and Fucked Up. Since then, they’ve earned both national accolades and a reputation as a local institution, the band you’re likely to see sweating it up onstage any given night. Their newest record, All Dead Bars Go To Heaven, reminds us that there’s “arguably no better Seattle band,” according to The Seattle Times. It arrives on March 21 via Iodine Recordings. Pre-order it here.
The album boasts 10 hook-laden heavy hitters, from rousing opener “I Wanna Be A Ghost” to anthemic closer “Be Me.” It also comprises a new chapter: a reintroduction to a new generation ready to escape the grind, as well as a reminder to the previous one of their potency. The emphasis is on heaven: a place of eternal reward for a life lived virtuously, regardless of the love or loss that once defined it. When the band cries “Dead Bars Forever,” they mean it.
Today, Dead Bars share the video for “Give the Metalhead a Hug.” Watch it here.
“I was listening to a lot of grindcore and Chumbawamba when I wrote this song,” says Maiello. “I grew my hair long. I worked at a metal venue/bar in Seattle. The metalheads were nice to me. The metalheads supported each other. This song is a reflection on the act of kindness, believing in your fellow humans, and finding community in an unlikely place.”
Grindcore and… Chumbawamba? Amen to that!
All Dead Bars Go To Heaven Tracklisting:
1. I Wanna Be A Ghost
2. Last Call Alarm
3. I Live Here Now
4. Wait So Long
5. Underground
6. Valentine Heart
7. Bad Life
8. Missed Connection
9. Give the Metalhead a Hug
10. Be Me
Dead Bears 2025 US Tour Dates:
2/4/25: Captain Black’s — Seattle, WA (with Shame Banger)
2/6/25: Ivy Room — Albany, CA (with Boss Martians)
2/7/25: Sardine — San Pedro, CA (with Boss Martians)
2/8/25: Redwood Bar — Los Angeles, CA (with Boss Martians)
2/9/25: Til Two Club — San Diego, CA (with Boss Martians)
2/21/25: Lanalous — Vancouver, BC (with Boss Martians)
