Review Summary: Deadlock aims high and doesn’t always hit their mark, but still manages to make a solid metal record.
Germany’s metal scene is full of bands with visions, struggling to find a unique sound that caters to an equally unique fan base. When listening to Deadlock’s 2007 album Wolves, it’s pretty clear they fit into that scene. Sporting two vocalists (Sabine Weniger tackling the clean vocals whilst Johannes Prem handles the growls), two very talented gentlemen on guitar (Sebastian Reichl and Gert Rymen) and spicing up their melo death/metalcore sound with techno bridges and orchestras gives them a great deal of material to work with in terms of coming up with a great record. While Wolves certainly has some amazing and enjoyable moments, it’s also a testament that sometimes less is more.
The moments where Deadlock shines are what make the album great fun. Code of Honor is the perfect blend of all of Deadlock’s talents, simply because everything flows beautifully. Sabine and Johannes trade off beautifully mid-verse, and Sabine soars in a very catchy chorus. The band is a well oiled machine of pounding double bass rhythms and powerful guitar solos, and the whole things works beautifully. Every transition is smooth, natural and doesn’t sound forced. Code of Honor is basically the case in which Deadlock achieved exactly what they were going for: A powerful, concise metal song that showcased each one of their talents. A few other songs on the album are in this vein, such as Dark Cell and As Words To Bullets.
It’s unfortunate that the rest of the album as a whole doesn’t achieve what those songs do. The album’s first “real” track, We Shall All Bleed, is a very sloppy affair and a rather dreadful listen. While the musicianship here is very good, the delivery is extremely messy. Johannes’ vocals are especially bad here. Lacking the cleanness of tracks like Code of Honor, We Shall All Bleed ends up being a lot of mediocre ideas crammed in a 6 minute span of time. Deadlock also have a rather annoying tendency to overlook the strongest aspects of their bands (Sabine’s vocals and their techno/orchestral elements) for their weaker ones (Johannes’ harsh vocals and blistering, busy guitar riffs). The latter reasons listed are truly what bogs the album down. In large doses, it quickly becomes clear that Johannes is simply not a good vocalist. His growls sound weak and at times wispy in their delivery. This is why Sabine’s presence is invaluable to the band. Similarly, with extended listening the guitar riffs begin to blend together. The album has a lot of same-y sounding moments, and it won’t take too long for you to learn what to expect. The similarities in chord progressions and rhythms whenever Sabine comes in are especially noticeable. A few more electronic and orchestral moments on the album could have really spiced things up when they were needed.
One shouldn’t assume the band is just playing it safe though. There is some experimentation and risk taking on the album, mostly through the aforementioned electronic aspects the band incorporates into their sound. While in many cases it can be as little as a synthesizer dweedling away in the background of a song, there are some moments where the electronics are the driving aspects of the song. Take for example the large orchestral scores in Loser’s Ballet. The string compositions are especially powerful, and may inspire some to don capes and go traversing the likes of Gotham City. It really does sound like Deadlock tried to emulate a film soundtrack here, and they succeed in a big way. Johannes tackles this song on his own vocally, with no aid from Sabine at all, and while this could have been disastrous he does a decent job of carrying the song. There’s a moment after the second orchestral break in the song where the band kicks back in that’s especially powerful. To Where The Skies Are Blue sort of serves as the antithesis to Loser’s Ballet, acting as the album’s ballad and featuring only Sabine on vocals with a very nice piano and orchestral piece backing her. Strangely, it sounds like something you’d here on mainstream radio.
Even in songs like End Begins, it’s the self described “techno” influences that make the song unique from the rest of the album’s material. Unfortunately, the electronic bridge is far less effective then the orchestral one in Loser’s Ballet, and it seems as if it were shoehorned to fit there. Other times, these electronic touches can simply be ignored, as they’re either too subtle to be noticed or simply used as filler (World Domination and Praeludium II).
Despite its annoyances, Wolves really is a fun listen for fans of metal. Most every song is laden with great guitar solos, the production is strong, and the band provides plenty of strong moments for good replay value. While in a few spots it seems like the band has bitten off more than they can chew, one can only hope that the future will provide this band with the experience and growth they need to make their opus.
