Send "Deadlock " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Sputnikmusic |
 Deadlock has been around since 1997 and over the course of four albums they have constantly pushed their melodic death metal sound in new directions. Whether it is with powerful female vocals, metalcore and techno influences or even a bit of hip-hop, the band has always looked to add more elements to their core sound. That's why it might come as a shock to learn that Bizarro World is a complete 180 from the 'everything but the kitchen sink' approach of Manifesto. Instead of trying to add even more elements to this album, the band have shed their death metal roots, cut unnecessary experimentation, reduced the multiple tangents, and replaced it all with a rock and pop influence that places Sabine Weniger's powerful vocals front-and-center. Although opening track "Virus Jones" begins with enough force, several factors soon reveal that things have definitely changed. The band has almost entirely strayed from their melodic death metal roots in favor of a rock-centric version of metalcore that finds them not only altering their guitar sound but the riffs themselves, as well. Quite simply, the guitar parts are no longer a huge focal point of each song and, as such, lack the focused aggression and creative energy that previous albums contained. Instead the band has moved towards a grittier guitar sound that leaves the riffs with much less personality and power – a change that has also reduced the amount of melodic leads, as well. This was done in order to showcase the stronger pop influence that is created through the use of electro/techno elements, piano melodies and an increased contribution from vocalist, Sabine Weniger. This new approach is augmented by an emphasis on huge hooks that consistently reduce the tempos/aggression in favor of simple, keyboard-driven melodies and Sabine's beautiful vocals. These changes are definitely going to cause some discontent among fans that prefer the band's older style, but this album can definitely grow thanks to Sabine's much larger role. Tracks such as "State of Decay" might be much tamer than most of Deadlock’s previous work, but it's hard to ignore the infectious quality of the music. The delicate piano melodies contrasted with occasional percussive loops and an undulating synth line work perfectly as a vessel for Sabine's total vocal domination of the track. Thanks to her it's not just the chorus that ends up being catchy, it's the whole damn song. This is also a good time to compliment the band on finally integrating their techno/electro influences into the music instead of just tacking them onto songs haphazardly. It's the reason that a track such as "Renegade" works so well. It begins with Sabine crooning, "All I asked for was a smile…" over a layer of synth that is so poppy and slick that it could have transitioned seamlessly into dance pop without a hiccup. Instead, the techno synths pick up the tempo while introducing a danceable rock beat and death growls. It's really those contrasting dynamics that include gritty riffs, techno/electro interjections, harsh growls and powerful clean singing that make this entire album the enjoyable listen that it is....full text |
| Thenewreview |
| Death metal, by its very nature, is rammed full of the most voluble, fearsomely foul vocal content – an attack that is intentionally punishing on the old ear sockets. Naturally, this is usually accompanied by an overdose of distorted atonality and rhythmic artillery, but the newer concept of melodic death, melodeath if you will, has introduced an escape route for those battered lug-holes. Guitars that fission away from the more obvious dissonant chug; percussive patterns that smash holes to enable them to break out, build layers or deconstruct themselves. Recently, a plethora of melodeath bands has applied the same ingenuity to the striking death verbals that define the genre. Suddenly bands are finding multiple vocal styles within a single track and Deadlock, with their pincer maneuver of Johannes Prem and Sabine Scherer (nee Weniger), are fine exponents of the art. This latest album sees the Germans again delving deep to divide themselves into rampaging, jagged guitar backing Prem’s devilishly macho, grottily-guttural growls, as well as pop rock melodics that rise and fall with Scherer’s soaringly angelic, transparent delivery. In fact, Bizarro World, may well represent the very breaking point where rock splits and runs away (screaming) from metal. No greater is the gap between murk and purity than on “Earthlings” where Prem blurts out a chunk of gunk as the drums falter so hard they slip into partial breakdown. Eventually they dig themselves out of a tight spot with a clunking of gears and a helping shove from Scherer. “Virus Jones” and “Brutal Romance” are other fine examples with the rhythm driving forth with Prem in tow to carve out a murky, brutish rut through to a break in the clouds. Here, the drums lock down to the slow tick of a metronome, the guitars shift up an octave and Scherer flings back the curtains to let in the sunlight of her crystalline vocal. At times, a change of pace is deliberately implemented to break the album up. “Alienation” and the title-track, for instance, are just gentle underscorings; inflated outpourings; like lines being drawn through the mayhem. In the end, the gesture will feel rather like unnecessary padding. “State Of Decay” and the ballads “You Left Me Dead” and “Paranoia Extravaganza”, however, are welcome additions. They leave Prem with little to add and are mainly vehicles for Scherer’s incredibly emotive, gorgeously silken vocal. There is much that is kept simple, and to good effect, but occasionally the band slot in a whole heap of intuitive electronica, (“Falling Skywards” and “State Of Decay”) creating another interesting angle for us to view the band from. “Renegade”, however, is a complete mess as it succumbs fully to the e-invasion, rupturing into part-ballad, part-drum n’ bass fireworks display....full text |
| Angrymetalguy |
| Heavy metal was once the most popular music in the world. Sure, it was glam rock, but bands that were genuinely cool were doing really well even if they weren’t getting radio play. Think about the success of Metallica pre-black album, or Iron Maiden selling out the Long Beach Arena 4 nights running on the tour for Powerslave. The music was technical, but it was still accessible and the mass appeal was still synonymous with good bands. But since the 1980s the quality of pop music has declined dramatically, and popular rock with it. We have now landed in a bizarro world, where bad, fundamentally not very catchy or interesting bands that lack all content are popular, and where innovators and interesting bands have trouble getting any recognition. But there’s an even more terrible place, and that’s the ill-advised attempts of people to try to blend these two things. No good can come of this. Deadlock is living proof of this. Bizarro World is pretty bizarre in that it rocks some pretty interesting melodic death metal that is consistently ruined and pissed on by a desire to forcibly shove pop music—and I mean real pop music, complete with synths and overproduced female vocals—into the mix. Deadlock sounds a lot like Sonic Syndicate—this is certainly no compliment—but they’re actually heavier, with a real death metal vocalist and some seriously interesting guitar work at times. There are some solid riffs that litter tracks here and there and some genuinely good things that show up. While the production is super fake and annoying, it’s par for the course, you know? I’ve come to expect it, and I’ve got a thing for perfectly sweeped arpeggios....full text |
Deadlock lyrics
|
| |||||||
