Customer Reviews

Wolves

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Deadlock is a world renowned group thanks to a plethora of loyal fans logging on to MySpace but this band still remains extremely overlooked especially for how original and groundbreaking this, their latest release Wolves truly is.

The metal scene is being filled with bands that all sound similar in style whether they be Metalcore, Hardcore, Thrash and even our coveted Death Metal.. Bands are becoming more and more less inventive and lack nearly all creativity. Deadlock is one of a select few whom break from that drone like state to deliver creative and original works to the masses of the Metal verse.

Not only do they come at us with a style all their own but in a vein of possibly one of the most fragile metal genres their are today, Melodic Death Metal. Though hints of Gothic and even dare I say minuscule traces of Black Metal are incorporated. All that said Deadlock remain a band on their own path not hiding behind others examples and willing to stand up and do something different.

The most dramatic and refreshing aspect of Deadlock is the duel vocals. Carrying on in the tradition widely known as Beauty and the Beast vocals, Deadlock use male driven Death-like guthral growls along side clean, clear and crisp female tones. Deadlock are in my opinion to date the best example of this style ever seen. Even surpassing Theatre of Tragedy, a band that supposedly helped to create this style. His brute force and powerful growls are amazing and audible all in one. Her soft, gentle and hauntingly melodic chords are simply breath taking. If I could give out an award for best Metal Duet these two would have it in the bag.

The music is intense and dramatic. You most likely won't enjoy this album if you don't like the heavier side of the metal spectrum but don't let that scare you away, give them a listen first. Such tracks as 'Code of Honor' have crushing head bang worthy riffs and explosive drumming while keeping a melodic sense to the track. Other such as 'Losers Ballet' are simply brutal from start to end.

One track that stands above the rest indefinitely is my personal fav 'End Begins'. This track has a chugging fast paced riff that will keep your head bobbing to the bombastic drumming and the chorus is simply perfect. Though one very interesting and in my opinion extremely original aspect of this particular song is placed in the middle of the track is a breakaway point where the band slowly to a stop and a techno like beat picks up. The beat lasts a moment and then comes a flesh rendering solo/breakdown section. I advise anyone interested to find some way to hear this song, I would gladly have paid the full price of this album just for that one song.

All in all I advise ALL metal fans to pick up this album and support a band that is attempting to steer away from the endless supply of that classic saying of "I've heard that before..".

This is an amazing album and all fans of the Melodic Death Scene NEED to buy this. In my opinion this is easily one of the best albums of 2007.. Surpassed by very few. Thank you for reading, please let me know whether my review helped you by pressing Yes below and I will reply to any comments left no matter how rude.

Also check out Deadlocks debut major label release: Earth.Revolt it's not as good as Wolves but it is a damn fine release in the Melodic Death verse.

Thanks again for reading..


-A Loyal Deadlock Fan

There are a lot of different styles to be heard on this album. It takes a few listens to actually "get" how many of these element come together, but once you get it, most of it works.

There is a touch of hardcore, metal and some really interesting electronica strung throughout. The female vocals are great and full of emotion. I wish it was easier to understand the growls however.

That said, Sabine really keeps things together. If it weren't for her vocals and keyboard work, I would not be consistently listening to this CD.

Overall a very good to excellent album.

All I have to say is WOW!!!!!! Deadlock's last album Earth.Revolt. was amazing, but this is just exponentially better in every aspect, which I thought would have have been impossible. The production is very clear, you can hear everything from the guitar harmonies and riffs, the intense drumming, the bass, and both singers (yes both!) with ultimate clarity.


The most notable thing about this release is the addition of the second vocalist, Sabine Weniger. Her voice is amazing and beautiful, and adds a very melodic but at the same time intense element to the music. Her voice has a different flavor than most other female singers in metal, and in my opinion, cannot be compared to anyone else that I have heard.


Every song on this cd is strong, and there is not a single bad track on this album. I was going to list what songs were the best on the album, but I just realized that I was listing the whole album.



I would recommend this album to anyone who enjoys metal, especially any melodic death metal bands (In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, Children of Bodom, Arch Enemy, At the Gates, Soilwork, etc.) or any melodic hardcore bands (Killswitch Engage, God Forbid, All That Remains, Shadows Fall, Heaven Shall Burn, etc.)


Buy this album! You will not be disappointed!

I recently heard of Deadlock about a year ago and fell in love with their sound. Unlike most of your typical death metal bands, they had a sound that is uncompromising and brutal. Yet they use symphonic/atmospheric concepts and incorporate them with style and grace. "Not Too Much" is the perfect phrase for how they utilize their keyboards/synth effects. Of course you have your brutality and guitar riffs that will keep headbangers going for hours on in... The Beauty and Beast style they are now using has added death and a sense of completeness to the album. This album grabs you from the get go and never lets down. I've noticed a bit of techno feel to some of the tracks and trust me, they are well warranted. This is a must have for fans of death metal/black metal/beauty and the beast style compositions. Be sure to check out Code of Honor... best song on the album!!! You'll be hooked by the first 30 seconds of the song... trust me. It's their most intelligent, intricate and accomplished effort to date in my opinion. Truly a great band will to change with the times and change for the better!!!

Deadlock's last disc, Earth.Revolt, put them towards the top of the melodic death map in my opinion. Dual guitar harmonies by the truckful, tasteful soloing, powerful vocals (including some of the best sounding female vocals in metal), and a darkened crunch make it an impressive listen even today. When I read last year that they had added female vocalist Sabine Weniger I was thrilled. Then they released the album cover, unusually white for a metal disc but one of the best I've seen in a while. So upon hearing the disc, there was certainly a large sum of anticipation but fortunately, Deadlock has not disappointed.

There are some notable differences from Earth.Revolt worth mentioning. The big one of course is a much heavier dosage of Sabine's vocals. I believe this will be the make-or-break point for many people. Her vocals are quite 'poppy', but in my opinion they mesh exceptionally with the band. Many people have noted the Lacuna Coil in reference to this disc, but quite frankly I don't see it. If I had to make a name-drop, I'm more apt to mention The Project Hate than anything else. Certainly a more melodic version, but the 'beauty vs. beast' vocals are there, there are occasional electronics (see "Code of Honor" and "End Begins"), and one could fault Jo (of TPH) of similar vocal 'poppiness'. Personally, I'd much prefer a 'pop' vocalist over the nauseating operatic type. But, back to the point, I'd say the vocals are about 60% Johannes/40 Sabine, and it's a solid ratio for me. The second notable difference is Johannes vocals. They were mostly raspy on Earth.Revolt, but here they sound more full and meaty. It's really quite an improvement and they come across as rather menacing (for a melodeath release), not to mention the added contrast between his and Sabine's vocals.

The final notable change is in the songwriting. Where Earth.Revolt had several lengthy tracks, the songs are noticably trimmed (the longest is about 6.5 minutes) and streamlined. Where Earth.Revolt was a bit more adventurous, many of the tracks on Wolves tend to follow more of a verse/chorus/verse pattern to accomodate both vocalists. They have maintained quite a bit of diversity as you move from song to song, such as incorporating the electronics in a number of ways this time around (there is a major "what the?" moment in "End Begins"), but one catches on to the overall pattern pretty quick. However, the band's ability to go from the intensely heavy and dark to a more melodic and atmospheric tone (see "We All Shall Bleed") is most impressive and never awkward (except "End Begins" but I'll leave that one for you to discover). Also, it's very obvious the band has really upped the ante when it comes to musicianship. Earth.Revolt was nothing to shrug your shoulders at, but wow! Wolves has hands-down the most addictive and memorable guitarwork I've heard this year. From the frantic, blast-beat equipped opening of "We Shall All Bleed", to the Dimmu-esque synths of "Loser's Ballet", to the traditional dual-guitar harmonies of "Dark Cell", to the jaw-droppingly gorgeous leadwork and riffing on "Bloodpact", there's not a song on Wolves that doesn't continue to impress me, countless spins later. It's one of those rare albums that I could easily listen to without vocal tracks and still be quite pleased. But, then you'd miss out on some wicked choruses, such as "Code of Honor", "Crown of Creation", and again, "Bloodpact".

It's safe to say I'm quite impressed with Deadlock's latest offering. Gorgeous guitarwork, great growls, and now featuring quite possibly my favorite female vocalist in metal, the band is truly set to take the world by storm.

When I'd heard that Deadlock featured a female vocalist, I wasn't sure what it entailed. Would she sound like Angela from Arch Enemy or Christina from Lacuna Coil? The answer, much to my delight, was neither.

Sabine's voice is unlike anything I've ever heard on a metal CD. It is rich, full, and pure. Where every other female metal/goth vocalist goes flat, Sabine outshines them all.

But Sabine's singing is only one component (albeit and important one) of "Wolves." Furious drumming, amazingly catchy guitar hooks, and guttural death growls provide the backdrop to her haunting, powerful delivery. From the outset when the lead singer shouts "COME ON, YOU MOTHER------S," you know you're in for quite a ride. In fact, I'd venture to say that I haven't heard a melodic death album this good since Arch Enemy's "Wages of Sin."

Any fan of melodic death metal will thoroughly enjoy this album.

Deadlock's follow-up to 2005's Earth.Revolt sees the band taking their established sound a few steps further. Lead singer Sabine Weniger has now officially become a full-time member besides her role as keyboard player. Weniger has a more prominent role than before on this disc, duelling with Johannes Prem on pretty much every tune and adding in contrast to his brutal death metal growls.

Though not very different, unlike its predecessor, Wolves sees longer compostions imbued with extended amounts of instumental moments. "We Shall All Bleed" begins with rolling drums and a brutal death growl before Weniger comes in with her angelic voice delivering sweet melodies. There is a lengthy instrumental passage, boasting a kinetic keyboard and guitar unison solo before concluding with an acoustic guitar coda. Similarly, the guitar and keyboard duel of "Crown of Creation", occasionally broken off by nice piano interludes, is among the more instrumentally rich parts of the album. This track comes across as particularly heavy, especially after the somewhat poppy "Dark Cell", full with relentlessly fast double bass drums and catchy vocal lines from Weniger. "Losers' Ballet", sung entirely with death growls, has a cool piano intro, lots of string elements, and interesting symphonic excursions -- certainly one of Deadlock's more engaging tracks. Strangely, there is also a weird disco number on the CD in the form of "End Begins", chock full of electronic beats and a happy-go melody, but all of a sudden it drops out, guitarists Sebastian Reichl and Gert Rymen come in raging with a killer guitar lead and tear the roof up. Certainly an interesting combination, but this, to me, is not where Deadlock's strength lies. Trying to be "progressive" just for the sake of it may alienate some of their older fan base and whether it will gain them new listeners is not certain either.

As good as some of the songs on this album are, it is questionable how well these instrumental breaks work within the confines of melodic death metal with the occasional gothy keyboard work and female vocals. The guys are certainly capable of playing, but this is certainly not the medium to prove it. I'm of the opinion they put out a much more focused and effective release with Earth.Revolt.

The album was mixed by Jacob Hansen and has his trademark style all over it. But the recording (done by the band themselves) of the kick drums could have been better -- just a minor complaint.