New Music Review: DED ‘Until I Die (feat. Chris Motionless) – Single’

DED 'Until I Die (feat. Chris Motionless) - Single' - COVER PHOTO

Rating: 10 / 10 Stars

DED is: Joe Cotela (vocals), Adam Adamcik (guitar), Kyle Koelsch (bass), Matt Reinhard (drums)

GUEST MUSICIAN: Chris Motionless (vocals)

REVIEW – From the desolate trenches of nü metal revival to the forefront of modern rock reckoning, DED is no longer the underdog—they’re the storm on the horizon. With the release of “Until I Die” featuring Chris Motionless of Motionless In White, the Phoenix-bred wrecking crew makes it blisteringly clear: they’re not just back—they’re reborn.

Hot off their 2024 Single Rockstar, DED resurfaces in 2025 with renewed venom and purpose, now under the banner of UNFD (home to ERRA, Invent Animate, Crossfaith, and more). Following the momentum of last year’s snarling single “Rockstar,” the band doubles down with “Until I Die,” a track that fuses spitfire urgency with introspective rebellion—and a whole lot of groove-laced fury.

“‘Until I Die’ is a statement about drawing a line for my life,” says frontman Joe Cotela. “It’s me separating myself from the bullshit… my mission statement to be the change I want to see in the world.” With Chris Motionless lending his signature searing vocals, the track becomes more than a single—it’s a battle hymn. Cotela and Motionless trade verses like battle-scarred prophets, pushing back against apathy, lies, and personal decay. The synergy is undeniable, the energy combustible.

DED—Joe Cotela (vocals), Adam Adamcik (guitar), Kyle Koelsch (bass), Matt Reinhard (drums)—has always walked a razor-thin line between hardcore volatility and hook-heavy accessibility. With “Until I Die,” they don’t just balance that line—they shatter it. The track is a wall of distortion and defiance, powered by guttural grooves and anthemic choruses built for both fists and catharsis.

But there’s more beneath the distortion. DED has always been about deeper purpose. Since Mis-An-Thrope put them on the map with over 25 million streams and Top 20 radio dominance, they’ve positioned themselves not just as sonic brawlers, but as modern myth-makers, battling existential dread with raw vulnerability. School of Thought built on that foundation, offering empathy over nihilism, unity over rage.

Now, with UNFD backing them, DED is igniting that mission with new fire. Cotela’s lyrics speak to a generation at a breaking point—lost in noise, betrayed by systems, desperate for something real. It’s no coincidence that the band’s fiercest songs often carry the most soulful undercurrents.

And “Until I Die” is as soulful as it is savage. From Cotela’s mission statement to Chris Motionless’s pulverizing cameo, this is the sound of two worlds colliding—not in conflict, but in shared conviction.

If “Rockstar” was the warning shot, “Until I Die” is the kill switch.