Deadfall United States

"The debut release by the American act, Deadfall (whose members have Berklee backgrounds) is a solid and promising release, but not a perfect one.

The EP contains five tracks all of which emphasize groove and rhythmic complexity. Most of the guitar riffs are, true to the djent style, groovy and mind-boggling, and - as a bonus - there are several instances of overlaid clean guitars, which actually works very well. I think that the tracks are intelligently composed, although they may strike some as being a bit monotonous at times.

"New Light" is an instrumental release, and the drums are programmed, and I think that these two factors prevent the release from being 100% enjoyable. The drums sound a bit mechanical, and a live drummer definitely would change that. A vocalist would really enrich the overall listening experience and contribute and extra layer of melody (and would also decrease the experience of monotony that some listeners might have) - actually, every time I listen to the EP, I expect a singer to drop in with some soaring vocals and complex vocal melodies.

That is not to say that there is no melody on this release. A lot of the tracks are inherently melodic, and the closing track 'Utopia' has some nice lead guitar melodies and a solo, too (I hope that there will be more solos and guitar licks on future releases).

In all, I think this is a very strong debut release which showcases a lot of talent, and I certainly think that all the tunes on the EP are well put together and enjoyable to listen to - djent fans will love them.

This is a promising release and I expect a lot of good stuff from this band in the future.

(review originally posted at metalmusicarchives.com)"