The rather strangely named band DESERT BENEATH THE PAVEMENT from Mannheim, Germany, is another outfit implementing music somewhere between heavy dirges à la Neurosis and more Post Rock’ish sound-scapes. So far, so ordinary. I mean there are plenty of bands out there aiming for exactly that direction, so doing something exciting here has become a very, very difficult task. Thankfully enough DBTP seem to be really skilled when it comes down to song-writing and playing, so the outcome – titled Transit – should satisfy devotees of this sound easily enough. This CD delivers five tracks, the shortest one clocking in at about 6:30 minutes and comes in a neat looking six-sided digipack, along with images by the Polish photographer Tom Wasilewski. So there’s enough to dwell upon while getting into the songs itself (read on further down)
Being a bit fed up with music like this, I didn’t expect to be blown away exactly, but Transit is in fact way better than a lot of other releases from this genre. First good thing I noticed while listening to these songs was the really crystal clear guitar tone – surely just a detail, but it’s things like that which make the difference. The riffs are curling from gloomy melodies to heavy eruptions, nothing you would not expect here, but the arc of suspense is wisely traced and the melodies catchy enough to gain some ground here as well. So I was waiting for vocals. And I was a bit afraid DBTP would do what so many bands of this style do, due to the lack of people who are actually able to sing – bury everything under a monotone roar that impresses for the first five seconds but gets quite annoying afterwards. But again, DBTP come along with something different: The first vocals you hear on Transit are really sung, with a voice that would match perfectly with more Dark Wave’ish music. Hereafter these gloomy vocals alternate with another version of the above-mentioned roaring, but thanks to this interplay it’s all totally bearable.
So like I said, I’m quite surfeited with this doom’n’gloom kind of thing, but I really see no reason for people digging Post Metal in general not to check out DESERT BENATH THE PAVEMENT – chances are good they will like this.
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