Deathmaze 'Eau Rouge' Review: This debut album will hypnotize you into an underground world of new wave punk
Deathmaze, an underground new wave and post-punk duo from Belgian music circles released their debut album 'Eau Rouge' on February 21.
Gregory Mertz and Julien Diels introduce us to a new vision in the post-punk genre through a concoction of dense, atmospheric post-drone metal. It could take you back to the days of The Cure and The Smiths, only with metal elements. The vocals resemble that of Smiths frontman Morrissey although it's darker in its course.
Mertz is also part of Belgian bands Daggers, Necrodancer and King Fu, while Diels is an ex-Cocaine Piss member and is also a member of bands Vuyvr and Elizabeth. 'Eau Rouge' was recorded a mere six months after Deathmaze's formation. The six tracks of the album reveal a vision to capture a niche audience, blurring the lines between genres.
'Eau Rouge' was recorded and mixed by Tim De Gieter (who has worked on projects such as Vonnis' 'Evil.Against.Evil' and Skemer's 'Benevolence') at Much Luv Studio in Lembeke, Belgium. It was mastered by Magnus Lindberg at Redmount Studios in Stockholm, Sweden. Lindberg is a Finnish composer and pianist who was New York Philharmonic's composer-in-residence from 2009 to 2012 and has been the London Philharmonic Orchestra's composer-in-residence since the 2014–15 season.
'Eau Rouge's opening track 'Time Gun' gives us a 'Night Rider'-esque intro. A driving rhythm with vampiric brooding vocals suddenly swerves into growls that have a melody yielding to its own accord.
Evident in tracks 'The Last Light' and 'Pole Position', the guitar riffs are close cousins of those from The Cure with consistent tapping on a single note, pitch changes at just the right moments and in a metamorphosis of melodies, a chiming strum on the guitar.
The fifth track on the LP, 'Flame Eternal', diverts in rhythm and highlights Deathmaze's use of their drum machine. A forward-moving hip-hop beat with a trace of swing and multiple metal fill-ins teamed up with strong, deep growling vocals. The atmospheric mix of these elements is not what you would usually find cooperating with each other. The tracks will leave you escaping to the visual imagery of a darker underground nightlife.
The final track 'Cybercrime' takes the vocals up a notch with growling that follows a somber tune, reaching a high pitch as well as the lows in various emotions rolled into one.
Although 'Eau Rouge' may appear monotonous at first, it is a melodic pill not hard to swallow but rather hypnotizingly pleasing in its new wave themes and carefully applied metal elements. Give it a listen. Take a break. Then listen to it again. You may just find yourself enchanted into an underground world of glorious new wave punk.
Tracklist:
'Time Gun'
'The Last Light'
'Pole Position'
'Half A Sun'
'Flame Eternal'
'Cybercrime'