Deadlock

A true case of beauty and the beast, Germany’s Deadlock are a band that seem poised to step up to the heavy metal mainstream. While the band are predominantly a death/thrash outfit, it is the inclusion of the female clean vocals of Sabine Weniger that offer a delightful sense of diversity to the Deadlock sound, and is definitely the biggest draw for the band. Weniger’s additions to the otherwise intense atmosphere of Wolves are very powerful and beautiful, which without a doubt sound like they have a place in the overall palette of the songwriting. Her album closing solo effort, "”To Where Skies Are Blue,” even sounds good enough to appear on mainstream rock radio. Weniger’s counterpart, Johannes Prem, takes on the brunt of the vocal duties and his guttural style stands up in very fascinating contrast to Weniger’s parts. Aside from the vocal combination, the musicianship on Wolves is also top-notch. Great twin harmonies, spot-on drumming and the inclusion of electronic/keyboard parts (save for the completely random techno beats in the middle of "End Begins”) are all cemented by very strong production. The overall sound of this album is somewhat difficult to pin down (probably best compared to Dark Tranquillity or Soilwork, with a few neo-classical influences shining through), although this can be considered a great asset to the band, as they seem to be carving a style all their own.