Midlands band tealdeer have crafted an intoxicating, menacing and unpredictable metal sound that they describe with the intriguing tagline “ominous deer anthems.” As if contrasting vocals and powerful riffs weren’t enough to have you hooked, the band throws in a giant deer-headed lead guitarist known as Ominous Deer Man.
tealdeer is formed of relentless frontman Ted, Tommy (guitar and vocals), Phil (bass and vocals), Rob (percussion) and, according to Phil, the Ominous Deer Man himself on lead guitar. The band have played together in separate projects for over a decade but, in Phil’s words: ” It was only recently that ODM cast some sort of spell on us, binding us together as a band so that he may spread his music far and wide.”
Describing the sound they’ve honed since, he added: “If the aforementioned ‘ominous Deer anthems’ gimmicky tagline hasn’t already sold it to you, then I’ll say that new listeners can expect the unexpected. We love anthemic, catchy and memorable metal music – but we always try and sprinkle a healthy dose of something else in every song. Something… different. It may be inspired by carnival music of old, ballroom dancing, black and white horror, gothic chorus, or who knows what else?!”
Our latest taste of this is the band’s superb second EP menace, which was released in June. It dives straight into the thick of it, with a booming riff and a fusion of vicious screams and clean vocals in a lively intro to the EP’s first single sign here. The pace slows as it drops into a more laid-back verse, before a cool little darting guitar line tees up another vicious chorus. That’s followed by the excellent the devil’s toybox, which starts out with a little winding riff giving way to a barrage of brutal vocals and driving guitars. An unnerving lick takes over alongside clean vocals, before dropping into another vicious delivery of vocals followed by the lively chorus “Cus this is mind rot, The devil’s toybox, Question my sanity, My incredulity, Five-minute therapy, Feels like eternity.” A creepy little section of keys gives way to spoken vocals and a laid-back guitar lick teeing up a powerful conclusion.
That’s followed by diabolical, which gradually builds to a crescendo in a big atmospheric chrous, then the EP’s most recent single release waltz of the worthy. The latter starts out with a cool spinning riff under big screams, before a lively spinning riff drops into a mellow opening verse that explodes into a big chorus. A slightly creepy verse blasts into a big chorus, which ends with a deliciously intense driving riff under vicious screams, teeing up a melodic final chorus. On the track, Phil said: “The enthusiasm from fans at shows, and henceforth as friends, has been truly astounding. From the pits that keep getting bigger to the streaming numbers that keep going up, the engagement and love we feel from it all honestly transcends words. Meeting so many new people and going to so many new places, it all just makes us excited to be alive. I reckon that’s what it’s all about.”
The EP concludes with the alluringly catchy don’t be a cult and the intriguingly wild final track stranger, which has somewhat of a 2000s post-hardcore feel to it and brings the record to an atmospheric ending. Check it out in the guitar playthrough below. And if that has you hooked, there’s much more where that came from on the band’s debut EP back to the ooze, which was released last year.
We first discovered tealdeer ahead of their recent appearance at Bloodstock, courtesy of winning their Metal 2 The Masses event. The win was hard fought, with some incredible bands we made friends with along the way,” Phil told us. “Shoutouts to Frame The Hero, King Abyss, and Hrönn, some of my personal favourites. The best part about it all was that it never felt like a ‘battle’ of the bands. Everyone was hungry for a spot at Bloodstock, but nobody was against each other. And then at the festival itself, the vibes were immaculate, the crew were awesome and the sun was beautiful. It’s almost as if Mother Nature made sure to keep any form of rain away after Thursday’s little scare… Or could it have been ODM?”
The tealdeer sound is shaped by a wide range of musical tastes, from ODM’s love of System Of A Down, the classically trained Ted loving Dance Gavin Dance and Phil growing up on punk. And as Phil puts it: “It’s dangerous to box yourself in and categorise! Ultimately, everything influences you one way or another.
“We want to write music that doesn’t let you stay in a dreary mood for long. Whatever the topic of the hour may be, I think that a key through-line with our music is our hopes that you will depart from it feeling energised, engaged, and readier to take on whatever life wants to throw at you. We all have our idols and influences, but we want you to remember that you’re just as strong as they are.”
Tealdeer’s second EP menace is out now. The band will be supporting our former New Band of the Week Lastelle at a sold-out show in Derby on Saturday (20 September), but they’re booking new shows and throwing out new surprises on their socials.
And Phil added: “Just one thing. If, upon listening, you proceed to see Ominous Deer Man in your dreams, do not be alarmed. He has been known to give blessings and bestow ominous yet powerful boons upon those he deems worthy. It just means he thinks you’re cool as fuck for checking us out.”
You can follow tealdeer on Facebook and Instagram, check out their new merch store and free guitar tabs, and listen to their music on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music and YouTube.
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