Deadlock-The Arsonist

Napalm Records
2013

Deadlock, who were formed in 1996, are now on album number six with "The Arsonist". While labeled in some places as melodic death metal, which they are to a point one could argue, there is so much more to the story then that description would imply. The group, which hails from Germany (and shouldn't be confused with all the other bands called Deadlock that are out there) offer up this absurd style of modern metal that actually peaks into the world of metalcore, alternative rock and pop music! Yes, Deadlock are a combination of all that and more. Not so fast folks. Don't run away on me screaming as it kind of works. Shocking I know. With clean female vocals and harsh male vocals (Sabine Scherer and John Gahlert respectively) it's a situation where they both feed off of each other in a near perfect way. Chief songwriter Sebastian Reichl (guitars and keyboards) keeps in the thrash rock solos that hint at this group's metallic core intact, while he also experiments with vastly different styles in order to create an emotional sound-scape. To that end he's helped by bassist Ferdinand Rewicki and drummer Tobias Graf who keep things from going too far off course. Musically it comes off as the meeting point (or is it the melting point?) between Swedish death metal, a less breakdown indulging Killswitch Engage and Evanescence. With "The Arsonist" deadlock brings everything they've got, all their goods and services on hand, to the table and dares the listener to get their hands dirty and indulge in all the different sensations. Here we see another act that should not, in theory, work given the odd assortment of genres and yet here it is sounding incredibly to the ears. Still, not everyone is going to get Deadlock or their album "The Arsonist". That's understandable given the over-all weirdness at hand here. For those who do appreciate all the different colors that life has to offer us, or rather freely listen to and indulge in everything from Abba to Napalm Death (like yours truly) this one comes packed with a recommendation. Life is far too short (and the ending can and does sometimes come from out of nowhere) to be close-minded when it comes to metal bands like this. So give it a listen and try it if nothing else. You might just be surprised that you've found something new out of life to enjoy!