DEADSOIL
Reviewed by Christopher J. Kelter
Formed from the ashes of Night In Gales and Copykill, Deadsoil return with their third full-length album (their second for Lifeforce). Since this is my first exposure to Deadsoil, I really don’t have much to go with historically with the band except that my colleagues seem fairly impressed with the band’s previous two efforts. Despite my familiarity with Night In Gales the sound of Deadsoil is too different to allow that to complicate this review.
When Deadsoil are rockin’ out in metalcore/hardcore mode, they sound like a band trying to gently push the envelope of those particular genres in a more creative direction. When the band utilizes clean vocals in their songs’ choruses images of current Soilwork come to the forefront – sometimes that is helpful and other times it is not. As a consequence, “Sacrifice” has the appeal of a solid melodeath disc albeit one that crosses into the hardcore/metalcore side of things.
Overall, “Sacrifice” is pretty good musically – it’s definitely very satisfying to these ears as I’ve always appreciated the melodeath sound even if Deadsoil occasionally veer too much to the side of metalcore for my liking. In the end, Deadsoil’s “Sacrifice” appears to be a genuine and sincere effort to give the stagnant melodeath genre something to get excited about while, at the same time, trying to avoid by lumped in with the thousands of metalcore bands that can, at best, be labeled copycats.
“Sacrifice” was produced and mixed by Jean-Francois Dagenais. The recording is crisp and the better than average production and sound make “Sacrifice” an easy listen.
Deadsoil: Friedrich Weber on vocals, Boris Pracht and Jens Baston on guitars, Andreas Schussler on bass, and Christian Bass on drums.
For more information visit http://www.deadsoil.net.
"The
Venom Divine" (Lifeforce; 2004)
Reviewed by Snidermann
From start to finish, Deadsoil's "The Venom Divine" delivers a powerhouse metal performance. This five member band from Germany rocks hard, heavy and harsh -- just the way good metal should. Not only does "The Venom Divine" rock like a mofo, you've got to love the title on its own.
Throughout the CD, the band's clarity of purpose jumps out at you from your stereo; these guys are on a mission and all you have to do is listen to the CD to find it.
This shit is the real deal: full of life, power, message and darkness. What more could you want from a metal band?
Deadsoil: Boris Pracht - guitar; Jens Basten - guitar; Fredrich Weber - vocals; Stefan Eutebach - bass; Christian Bass - drums.
For more information, check out http://www.deadsoil.com.
"Forever
The Enemy" (Tribunal; 2004)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
"Forever the Enemy" is pummeling, brutal metalcore that drives through the eardrums and directly into the brain. You'll know these songs the first time you hear them and they'll only grow on your more each time you play the CD.
The spiraling guitars of "40 Degrees" are a highlight, as are the driving choruses of "Reloader" and the stomp-inducing rhythm of "Pushed into Ruin." You'd expect something this explosive from Deadsoil considering that it consists of former members of Copykill, Drift, Six Reasons To Kill and Night In Gales, and, with its crushing guitars, scorching vocals and surprisingly hook-laden verses and choruses, "Forever the Enemy" delivers.
If there's a downside here, it's that there are only five tracks and just over 20 minutes of music on this particular disc. The good news is that the band is currently work on a full-length CD, to be released later this year.
Deadsoil: Boris Pracht - guitar; Marcel Stroter - voice; Stefan Eutebach - bass; Jan Olejnik - guitar; Christian Bass - drums.
For more information, check out http://www.deadsoil.com.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2006 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised: 18 Nov 2024 13:33:10 -0500.
