DED are rising from the ashes with RESENT, their long-awaited new album is out now. Known for their punishing riffs and fearless lyrical honesty, the Arizona heavy hitters are channeling raw emotion and personal growth into their heaviest, most unfiltered record yet. Alongside the announcement, the band dropped a visualizer for their new single “ERASER,” setting the tone for what’s to come.
“This is a universal song about reflection and being cognitive of your own bullsh*t,” says frontman Joe Cotela. “The concept of recognizing and unlearning our negative habits and attributes is a powerful thing. We’re all sculpted by our experiences with family and the world into what we are today and every day that we wake up we are given the chance and the choice to be anything and any version of ourselves that we want to be.”
Cotela’s honesty extends across the entire record. “A lot of the themes that I’m getting into on our new album and really our whole catalogue are very realistic takes on knowing that you aren’t perfect and addressing those pitfalls to yourself to become the best version of you possible,” he explains. “Having the bravery to be vulnerable and accountable with yourself and setting the ego aside to get out of our own way is paramount. Learning and then unlearning our traumas and triggers is the key to the door.”
The making of RESENT was no small feat. Recorded over three turbulent years, the album was born from frustration and resilience. “We found ourselves stuck not being able to be active due to behind-the-scenes business sh*t,” Cotela reveals. “It was awful for our band, for our momentum and for our growth in a fast moving world as a newer band.” But instead of slowing down, DED built their own studio, Trash Island Studios, in Phoenix and took total creative control.
“Just because we couldn’t release music or play shows, it didn’t stop us from being who we are and doing what we do as artists,” says Cotela. “We made our own recording studio…and we did it all ourselves this time.” The result is an album that’s unapologetically DIY and fiercely authentic, with mixing and mastering help from Zach Jones and KJ Strock. The record also features powerhouse guest appearances from Chad Gray of Mudvayne, Chris Motionless of Motionless In White, and Danny Leal of Upon A Burning Body.
Cotela describes RESENT as “the most ‘unfiltered’ DED release to come out,” emphasizing that it captures the band’s original spark in a new light. “It has been four years since our last record and we hope that these songs reflect that amount of time being spent sweating it out over the stove,” he concludes. “Through gratitude, perseverance and pride, we can now give RESENT to the world.”