Music Review: Deadly Remains - Before the Nothing

At the end of Before the Nothing, I have to wonder if this is indeed all there is. Quite frankly, I was hoping there would be a little more to chew on. Deadly Remains leaves me with the impression that when the nothing does arrive it will be a welcome relief as what has come before has finally come to an end. Wow. That actually sounds a lot harsher than I meant it to. It is not really that bad, but it just fails to really grab me in any meaningful way.



Deadly Remains is a death metal act that plays a little with melody and technicality in their brand of brutal death metal. The problem is that throughout the album it sounds like they are still searching for themselves. It is a melting pot of influences and styles and they are trying to cram them all together without first trying to figure out how they go together and how they want the blend to sound on the other side.








There is no doubt this is a talented bunch of musicians. There are some really good riffs, solid solos, and some nice bass in the background. I get the feeling that some more time and perhaps a good producer, Deadly Remains could really come together as be something really good. These thoughts are bolstered by th fact that the album gets progressively better. In particular "What Lies Beneath" is really good with some interesting time changes and musical progression.

I think one of the things that I really don't care for is the vocals. They are your standard death-growls but they seem uninspired and do nothing to get me involved. I was much more interested in the musical portions. That is where this band has potential to shine. The production does not do them any favors in this arena, but they strike me as young and up and coming with time to find the right production sound and to grow together as a band.

Before the Nothing does get decidedly better the deeper in you get. Early I felt ready to write them off but when we get to the epic length "What Lies Beneath" and "From Dust" it sounds like they are finding themselves a little more. Still don't care for the vocals, but this is definitely a death act with some technical leanings that is worth keeping a sideways glance on.

Mildly Recommended.