By Monk
Fronted by the effervescent and ebullient (a perhaps somewhat surprising description given the morbidity behind most of his music) Ethan Beattie, this emerging young combo certainly have been making something of an exponential ascent up the Belfast music scene ladder since taking their first steps onto it a little more 18 months ago, with their shows growing in capacity each and every time they step into the local live arena.
Unfortunately, I myself have not been able to catch them in said environment since being impressed by their first ever performance back in October 2021, so my judgement on their progression is confined to aural experiences only. And that progression now takes a massive step forward from the raw-but-confident “Misfits-style, hardcore-infused modern punk” I saw way back then in my favourite Belfast venue to a sound that blends a myriad of different influences and styles yet remains firmly planted within the wider gothic rock mien.
You don’t have to look much further than the opening duotych of tunes: opener ‘Endless Hope’ combines raw power punk with dark post-rock gothicism, while follow-up ‘Falling Away’ has a very Nirvana feel to it, especially in the chorus, which has a very ‘Teen Spirit’ vibe, combined with elements of metalcore and a White Zombie-esque breakdown. ‘Pain That I Need’ sounds like an angst-ridden pubescent Marilyn Manson jamming with A7X, again combined with a very metalcore groove, especially when Beattie explores the dirtier end of his vocal range.
‘Heaven Into Hell’ is a slice of pure gothic mysticism, very much in the mien of a less dust-covered Nephilim mixed, in a weird way, with doses of MCR, before new single (released this very day) ‘Hollow Eyes’ evokes the spirit of the master of macabre himself, Nick Cave, especially in the opening section, before evolving into a dense, swirling whirlygig of musical majesty of which the lord of darkness would indeed be proud.
After lulling us into a false sense of security with an untypically restrained acoustic intro section, ‘Art Of Death’ is another blast of pure punk rock fury, built on another winding staircase of a riff which seems to have quickly become a trademark of the Deadlights sound, before the band bring back those metalcore miens with the pummelling ‘Kill Your Answers’. In fact, the second half of the album is much heavier than the first, with the introduction of some worthy nu-metal vibes into ‘Fatal Violence’ before they surprise us once again with the alt-rock fuelled closer ‘Dreamless Life’, which is driven by a huge, rumbling bass sound underpinning another of those winding riffs, while also retaining those dark gothic roots, especially in Beattie’s pre-chorus vocal interjections.
‘Echoes Of A Dreamless Life’ sounds like an album that has been deliberately created and crafted to complement the band’s increasingly theatrical and upscaled live shows. It combines light and darkness, speed and groove, intensity and pathos, building momentum and then easing back in a way which is superbly thought out and delivered, without for a second losing any of the passion which such a process can sometimes expunge. These lights are certainly far from dim, never mind death, but are shining brightly into the darker recesses of the Überverse. Now, I think I need to go talk to my boss about my rota…
- ‘Echoes Of A Dreamless Life‘ is out now.
- E.B. & The Deadlights play Belfast’s Oh Yeah Centre on Saturday 22 July.
facebook.com/e.b.andthedeadlightsband
- All content © Über Rock. Not to be reproduced in part or in whole without the express written permission of Über Rock.