Deadlock – Bizarro World (2011)

Deadlock, one of the most polarizing bands in the metal scene returns with yet another very diverse sound release. By polarizing we mean that people have very outrageous opinions about their musical style, some people call it Pop Metal, but we have to say their style is pretty bad ass and it really grows on you after a few listens.

Moving past their hip hop and metal track in “Manifesto”, the band consolidates their efforts in a very dynamic sounding release. Yes, there are some parts that might be considered too mainstream for ‘extreme’ metal, but in general the band has a unique sound that surely gets them noticed everywhere they play and gains them fans from all kinds of musical genres.

With “Bizarro World”, the band takes a comic book concept and portrays it very efficiently in 40 minutes of music. Taking from Melodic Death Metal, Modern Metal and Gothic Metal, the band’s sound in this release is a mixture of their last albums without the hip hop crap. The album starts with “Virus Jones”, a very powerful track that hits new levels of awesomeness when the keyboards starts and highlights the sweet vocals of Sabine Weniger. This chorus section will get stuck in your head for days.

Make no mistake and think that this release is a walk in the park with a pink balloon, the band goes into full-on metal mode with well crafted riffing, tight drumming and an intricate bass guitar line (courtesy of the new bass player John Gahlert. The use of futuristic/electronic elements in tracks like “State of Decay” and “Falling Skywards” nicely give a different spin to the band’s sound, making it even more dynamic than before.

One thing to notice is that the band’s guitar work is extremely similar to their last album, making you think that you’ve heard some of the songs before. If you are looking for ‘power ballads’ we have to recommend the dramatic “You Left Me Dead” song, a very powerful and moving track that brilliantly contrasts the band’s brutal and melodic aspects.

After the song “Alienation”, the album starts getting more electronic and ‘weirder’. “Renegade” is great evidence of this change in the pace of the album. The orchestrations behind “Bizarro World” sound pretty well, but they kind feel a bit off in terms of the flow of the album. “Paranoia Extravaganza” is a pretty peaceful closer for the album, but it also feels a bit thrown in together to (ab)use the band’s female singer abilities.

Overall, we have to say that we found ourselves enjoying “Bizarro World” more than we though after the first listen. The songs grow on you and the catchiness of certain sections will trap you for days. The band’s sound is a bit more consolidated than on “Manifesto”, and we completely enjoy it. The female vocals are excellent and the male growls/screams contrast them brilliantly. While some people might give the band shit for their overly dramatic antics and their ‘pop-ish’ elements, we have to say that this album is far from being ‘too soft’ or anything like that.

Release: February 25th, 2011 (Europe), March 15th, 2011 (USA)

Country: Germany