An elephant in your living room. Ask rhythm and metal duo Death From Above 1979 to describe their music, and that's a common response. Indeed, the massive sound of their debut LP, "You're a Woman, I'm a Machine" is sure to scrape the walls and shatter furniture -- that is, if you can fit it through the door.
Using only a drum kit, bass guitar and occasional synthesizer, the metal this Toronto two-piece make is mammoth on the dance floor. Drummer/vocalist Sebastien Grainger's tortured wail could make Ozzy Osborne reach for a cough drop, but his drumming style pummels the head-banging reflex straight into the hips. Sharing this dichotomy is bassist Jesse Keeler, who saws off meaty hooks reminiscent of Queens of the Stone Age -- or even a sped-up Black Sabbath -- and aligns them with Grainger's persistent high-hat for a club-track intensity.
Nods to punk, soul and the blues are found throughout, but the pair is no stranger to the DJ scene. Keeler even says that the fuzzed-out riffs on the single "Romantic Rights" were originally written for house music and that remixes for The Futureheads and Bloc Party are in the works.