Album Review: Dead Steppe – Hail The End
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
Within the first sixty seconds of opening track “Vedma”, you get a very solid introduction into the world of Dead Steppe and it’s one that you should embrace like a log lost friend, with a warm and friendly hug. This is the first release for the sludge/post metal quartet from Fredericksburg, Virginia and you can feel the passion oozing out of them.
Vocalist Jonah Robertson certainly gives it his all throughout the seven songs, and as the opener ends, it leads into a self-titled track named after the band, which has a blistering rhythm section from bassist Craig Myra and drummer Eoin Murphy, with the overlayed guitars from James Thompson, who mixed and mastered the album, coming through loud and clear.
There are encouraging signs throughout, and on “Isolation” they have a slightly different approach, slower, with the bass line cruising along nicely, as Robertson mixes up his vocal output. You do get that sense of withdrawal or disconnect, which is quite apt given the song title. “Dirge for Tomorrow” is up next and continues the harrowing theme musically as several mighty screams ring out from the singer. The cymbals are quite rightly getting a pummelling on this one, but the guitar riff steals the show as it lurks and lingers in the shadows, like a predator waiting to pounce on its prey, before it springs into life.
The foursome packs an awful lot in the three plus minutes of “Filth” with a swaying rhythm and hypnotic riff that leave you wanting more. It’s a punchy, powerful track and has about twenty seconds where Thompson is left to showcase his talents before the others come back for a barn storming ending. Then you get more variety, as the melancholy notes of “Flowers for Algernon” begin to flow with its gentle touches, low end bass notes and teasing guitars.
This is a fine example of post metal, as it’s atmospheric and plays with your mind, before the vocals punctuate the soundscape. It’s the longest song on the album at over eight mins, but it’s worth persisting with before you reach the album title track finale. Again, it has a sombre beginning, which has an icy, cold feel to it, before sparking to life with the tight rhythm section expanding their repertoire and giving another demonstration of their abilities, as Robertson gives it his all, as he stretches his voice to hidden depths.
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