Deadsy - Commencement
(Dreamworks, 2002)

Deadsy are one of the forerunners of this so called Darkwave movement, characterized by brutal nu-metal guitar lines mixed with eighties style dated keyboard techniques, of which the only other band I can faithfully recall under this genre is the to this date one-hit wonder Orgy. They combine the angst-ridden pounding of Korn with classic new wave styles of the early eighties (remember New Order, Joy Division, and Depeche Mode?), a startling combination, and it's a wonder that it actually suceeds excellently in many areas. Unlike other groups in this genre and variants thereof, they have real instruments as well as synthetic and utilize little post-recording fixing and overdubbing (which a lot of bands shamelessly do ad nauseam).

Occasionally Deadsy will throw in the occasional drum machine pattern, but Alec Pure's organic drumming is a true highlight, clearly influenced by Neil Peart of Deadsy's major hero, Rush. In fact, Deasdy even throw in a faithful and righteously sledgehammered version of Rush's very own Tom Sawyer. Elsewhere, The Key To Gramercy Park, the lead track and single, is what Korn wishes they could be, but aren't in the least. Winners is half ballad and half classic new wave pop-rock, co-written by none other than Brian Eno, who layers his distinct flavoring on this track to great effect. The next song, the ballad Brand New Love, could be the next single, and would have been successful back in 1983 as it would be today. The straight ahead rocker She Loves Big Words proves to be another treasure on this record, as is the aforementioned Tom Sawyer.

The rest of the album follows an eerie and dismal progressive motion, like Radiohead's newer work on a heavy barbituate habit, and is awash with Deadsy's trademark seeping bass sludge from hell. Not that this is a glaring problem (or even a problem at all), but those looking for a consistent uplifting new wave feeling will be sorely dissapointed; it's why they call this Darkwave. Unfortunately, many of the tracks on this record pretty much are straight filler, a progressive electronic sludge. But, I still listen to this album a lot lately, because the super-intelligent Rush-like lyrics and oxymoronically enjoyable new wave synthesizers are a treat. They're also a great deal more real-sounding than many other bands today who put too much emphasis on lifeless digitalism, so I'd clearly recommend this group of sonic terrorists for those who need something different.

Rating: 3/5