Brutal Romance
"Beauty-and-the-beast" melodic death metal acts seem to be gaining popularity nowadays, and Deadlock is surely among the top of the heap. On this album you'll find excellent melodies, killer riffs, angelic vocals from Sabine Weniger, and brutal death growls from Johannes Prem. There are a few cheesy pop-ish ballads that I could've one without, and a few riffs come across as generic, but that doesn't hide the fact that Bizarro World is an enjoyable, and occasionally excellent, album from Deadlock. Its appeal towards "tr00 deth metl d00ds" is certainly limited - those who despise any mainstream sensibilities in their extreme metal will want to keep a safe distance from Bizarro World. For what it's worth, I've had a great time listening to Deadlock's latest effort over the last week and, although I have a few complaints, it's a largely successful effort that should please their dedicated followers and (hopefully) a whole new legion of fans.
The music here can be considered melodic death metal, which is certainly a warranted tag. There are plenty of downtuned chugging-riffs on Bizarro World accompanied by brutal death growls from Johannes Prem. However, a decent chunk of the album, particularly the title track, "Paranoia Extravaganza", "State Of Decay" and "Alienation", can barely be considered metal at all. During the heavier tracks (which feature both clean and growled vocals), I'm reminded of acts like Engel and especially System Divide (which plays a similar, albeit more "metal", style of melodeath). The music can get a bit formulaic, but it's always enjoyable and filled with highlights like "Brutal Romance" and "Virus Jones". As mentioned, a few riffs can feel a bit "generic", but that may only be due to the terribly weak production. I'm not against polished productions, but this is so overstressed that it actually serves as an obstacle for me. I would really like them to take a rawer approach with the production next time.
Conclusion:
Bizarro World is an impressive and confident album from Deadlock, even though it's marred by an overstressed production and a few uncomfortable transitions. Regardless of its setbacks, this is a great melodeath album that fans of the genre should certainly seek out. Deadlock is certainly among the better "beauty-and-the-beast" bands out there, and this strong effort is worth 3.5 stars. This isn't an album for all of you die-hard Cannibal Corpse fans, but anyone who can appreciate the mainstream and (very) melodic forms of death metal will enjoy this one.
Track Listing:
1. Virus Jones
2. State of Decay
3. Falling Skywards
4. Earthlings
5. You Left me Dead
6. Brutal Romance
7. Alienation
8. Renegade
9. Htrae
10. Bizarro World
11. Paranoia Extravaganza
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