Death, Rough Francis - Split - 7" Disc - RSD 2023 - Black Friday

This split 7” unites the Hackney coalition, as the next gen kids join their father and uncle in Death on one side, while continuing to forge their own path as Rough Francis on the other. The production, by on-call drummer Urian Hackney, ambitiously streamlines the hard-driving sound of both bands: Julian Hackney’s guitars, the vocals of Bobby Jr. and Sr. and all the rumbling rhythm unleashed. A new chapter in the history of Death has begun.

Keeping it in the family and pointing toward the future has been a way of life for Death since the beginning. For this new recording, Bobby Hackney’s sons have joined Bobby and Dannis in the band they formed with their late brother David nearly 50 years ago. Urian, Julian and Bobby Jr. have made music under the name of Rough Francis since 2010 and will continue that journey while also making Death music old and new happen with their father and uncle.

 ‘World In Disguise’ and ‘Haunted’ are produced by Urian, who is gaining recognition as a drummer, artist and producer, playing with Converge, The Armed and even the Late Night with Seth Meyers 8-G Band in the last couple years, in addition to Rough Francis. Julian plays all the guitars in this new version of Death, replacing Bobbie Duncan, whose work standing in for David has been invaluable in the last decade-plus.

 ‘World In Disguise’ was developed from a demo in the Death 70s archive - and more songs from that archive will be coming in the future, as part of the full-circle Hackney experience going forward. The ferocity and new sonic frontiers of this production bode well for the next era of Death history.

 ‘Haunted’ presents the Rough Francis sound, driven just as powerfully as the parent band and inclined to the same depth of introspection that is a part of Death’s signature. Bobby Jr.’s vocals and lyrics are in turn, rawly aggro and ethereally philosophical, as the Rough Francis production sound encompasses the wide spectrum of their shared vision.

Death have already endured beyond the lifespan of a typical band. Drafting the next gen in now ensures that Death will continue into further unimagined realms beyond their already unbelievable position.