Deadspace
Those of you who have been following us a long time know that for a long time we have been following the band Deadspace (as the many reviews collected here will demonstrate), as well as the Exitium Sui solo project of Deadspace front-person Chris Gebauer (those reviews collected here). There was a time when we thought Deadspace had been interred forever when Chris moved to Europe, but thankfully the reports of their demise proved to be premature:
In 2021 Deadspace released the single “Moksha“, and about one month ago Immortal Frost Productions announced that on September 22nd it will release the band’s seventh album, Unveiling the Palest Truth. But even before then Deadspace will release another record, and it’s our pleasure to announce that today, as well as to provide a reminder about the first single that surfaced from the new album about a week ago and to spread the word about a couple of upcoming live shows.
The new release, whose cover art (by Anett Gebauer, using a painting by Ukrainian artist Vlad Darkness666) we’re revealing just above, is an EP entitled Within Haunted Chambers. It includes three tracks from the Deadspace albums The Promise of Oblivion (independently released in 2015) and Dirge (released through Talheim Records in 2019) that the band re-recorded to showcase their evolution over the years in the live and studio arenas. As they have told us:
This is part of us re-establishing ourselves and a much harsher and heavier entity, leaving behind the DSBM moniker. These tracks are how these songs are played live now in 2023 and are designed to sit well amongst our newer material that will be out in September.
The tracks on the new EP are “I’ll Buy the Rope” from The Promise… and “The Malevolence I’ve Born unto Others” and “Rapture” from Dirge. Symphonic elements were contributed by Déhá, who also mixed and mastered the music at Opus Magnum Studios.
Within Haunted Chambers will be independently released by Deadspace on digital platforms on July 28th. They will reveal one of its three re-recorded tracks for streaming on July 21st. We also want to mention that the original albums The Promise of Oblivion and Dirge are still available in physical formats through Talheim Records, and in digital formats through the Deadspace Bandcamp:
“The Promise of Oblivion” 12″ LP Vinyl:
https://store.talheim-records.at/en/sound-carriers/vinyl/deadspace-the-promise-of-oblivion-lp-gatefold-black/
“Dirge” digipak Talheim Records:
https://store.talheim-records.at/en/sound-carriers/cds/deadspace-dirge-cd-digipak/
Digital:
https://deadspacecollective.bandcamp.com/album/the-promise-of-oblivion
https://deadspacecollective.bandcamp.com/album/dirge
Now let’s turn to the new Deadspace album.
When Deadspace announced the album they included an extensive statement about what it represents. You can read the entire statement at their Bandcamp page (here), but we’ll just provide the following excerpt:
Unveiling the Palest Truth will mark a pivotal point in Deadspace’s 8 year existence. When we put the band to an end in 2020, it was primarily due to the style of music not resonating anymore with all members of the band. There was no musical conversation regarding Deadspace for a lengthy time. After a break, it became obvious that the band, if continued, should travel in a heavier and darker direction, leaving the dsbm moniker behind.
The energy that dominated some of the latter releases, such as Dirge and The Grand Disillusionment, were much more ferocious in nature and created for us a canon of new musical ideas. We began working on material slowly and meticulously, cutting the majority of songs that were then considered complete, but not good enough. We were unsure of any future release but set out to make a short and violent representation of everything the band stands for. At roughly 25 minutes, what we were left with sits somewhere between the length of a long EP and short album, but its density and completeness beckoned us to release it as an album. 5 tracks of pure rage, aggression and oppression.
We teamed up once again with production guru Déhá from Opus Magnum Studios to give this beast some claws…. To old fans, do not expect the same Deadspace. Expect something much more polarising. To new listeners, buckle yourself in for the ride.
That warning about buckling yourself in will make sense when you listen to the album’s first single, “Within his Wretched Tomb“, released for streaming about a week ago.
The ferocity is palpable, and reaches apocalyptic levels quickly. The guitars and keys strike like a scathing sandstorm, and the bass sounds like a violent earthquake in progress. Only the snare seems under control, though the drums also rumble and boom like thunderheads. As the guitars writhe and wail in piercing tones, they seem to transmit a feeling of extreme despair, and the reverberations of raw howling and screaming vocals amplify the music’s terrifying intensity.
When the low-end upheavals eventually spend themselves, the music remains sweeping in its scale and immersive in its effect, but even more stricken in its mood. The tones glimmer and glitter, unearthly in their atmosphere and dreamlike, yet unmistakably bereft. That haunting concluding phase of the song benefits from a strong bass pulse and head-moving drum progressions, but grim spoken words underscore the darkness within — a darkness that has always marked Deadspace and obviously hasn’t gone into hiding.
PRE-ORDER “Unveiling the Palest Truth”:
https://lnk.to/unveilingthepalesttruth
DEADSPACE LINKS:
Bandcamp: https://deadspacecollective.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deadspaceaus
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deadspaceaustralia/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6Pil7ytDWKgjHf1mXQe4Q8
We do have one more piece of Deadspace news to share, though it will mostly be of interest to people within striking distance of Perth and Melbourne, Australia: That news is that in November Deadspace will present 8 Years of Desecration, two shows in the afore-mentioned cities that will consist of a 50-minute set in each locale “comprised of various select material from our 8 year discography, including new material off our upcoming record Unveiling the Palest Truth“. For both shows they will be joined by the band Woewarden as well as local bands. Their announcement included the following statement:
To those outside Perth and Melbourne, we apologise that these will be the only 2 Australian appearances for us in 2023. Our vocalist Chris is living in Belgium at the moment and is flying a considerable distance to make this possible. We haven’t forgotten about other states, it just falls outside our grasp on this particular run. That being said, we are announcing this early enough to allow those who would like to make the journey adequate planning time.
Expect Deadspace like you’ve never seen before, new merchandise, and 2 big nights to be remembered. Venues, lineups and ticket details will be revealed in due time.
