Irreversible
Album Rating: 9
Reviewed by: Jim Harrison
Metal fans everywhere will have to mark their calendars for July 14, 2023 for the highly anticipated release of London, UK based band, Deitus who is set to release their new album Irreversible via Spinefarm/Candlelight Records. This is their third album following their 2018 release Via Deloroso and 2016 Acta Non Verba. This band is known for their rabid live performances pushing the boundaries of their dark artistry. Their sound can be described as a mix of doom, death and melodic metal but it really is a metal soundscape matching strong, dark vocals with superior musicianship. This album is more of an “experience”, leading, not following musical expectations and trends.
The album is just over thirty nine minutes with six songs and starts with the instrumental track “Incursion” that leads off eerily slow and than picks up preparing you for the onslaught that is about to begin. This heads into “Straight For Your Throat” which grabs a hold of it and doesn’t let go. Being the longest track on the album just over sixteen minutes, normally you would be thinking that’s long but when you hear this it feels like a typical song length of three to five minutes. The low vocals really bring a sense of the horror awaiting, showcasing the strong guitar work and pounding drum beat. There is a great melodic sound throughout it pushing a tribal feel. The next track “A Scar of Serenity” is one of my two favourite songs on this album. This is a heavy pounding song and is super fast. I love the repeated lyric “Let Me In”. This song is catchy and I find myself humming it afterwards. This will be a great track live with huge audience participation, it also has a thrash feel to it in parts. The title track “Irreversible ” is next which pushes great vocals and a massive drum beat that sends this song into flight. My other favourite track “Voyeur “ and this track is fantastic. This actually could be one of my favourite songs of 2023, I like it that much. Guest vocalist Toni Coe-Brooker has an amazing voice that just makes this so dramatic and dreamy. This song is about the terror of sleep paralysis and the video is a work of art. Coe-Brooker did all the underwater scenes herself which is impressive. This is the first time Deitus has done a collaboration and it’s a home run. The last track on the album “As Long as They Fear” has a blackened trash vibe to it and positively book ends this album on a high. This is a great song and the catchy guitar riffs make this another song that would be awesome live.
The albums artwork by Santiago Caruso is totally captivating, adding to the extreme expectations.
This whole album is superb, really showcasing a sound experience or even being genre defining. I love the rawness of this album and like the longer songs versus many songs, it makes it special. The track “Voyeur“ will bring more attention to this album propelling exposure to metal fans not only in Europe but all over the world. The video runs parallel to the song and is perfect giving that visualization to tell the story.
I recommend this album to fans looking for a deeper metal experience.
Track Listing
01. Incursion
02. Straight For Your Throat
03. A Scar For Serenity
04. Irreversible
05. Voyeur (feat. Toni Coe-Brooker)
06. As Long as They Fear