There was more of a stir of excitement when Deadlock started to update their social media presence in 2024. It’s now been 9 years since they released their last album, Hybris, and everything had all but gone quiet on the unique German metalcore act. But what was more, original female vocalist Sabine Scherer was returning! While Deadlock is currently a two-piece between Sebastian Reichl and herself, there was something thrilling about hearing “Blackest Black” and that familiar Deadlock sound last year. Buried Alive may only be a 5-song EP (one of which is an instrumental version of the title track), but the group has been sorely missed.
Things start off with rollicking melodic death riffing and frantic speed with the title track. A full-on foray into some of their most vicious material, Reichl’s barks blend well with Scherer’s beautiful cleans, and the guitar solo fireworks and urgent melodeath riffing makes for a riveting first listen. Their first single, “Blackest Black” captures that same dynamic the band excelled at, namely big hooky melodic choruses led by Scherer, countered by heavy and massive modern riffing and stomping grooves.
The last of the new tracks is that of “Acedia – The Downfall’s Symphony.” This one switches gears nicely with a dark, ominous blackened feel at the start. There’s a greater sense of majesty, and the way that it moves into gracious and driving melodeath melodies feels just as epic. Of course, Scherer’s vocals bring things into the climax at the chorus and give it even larger wings to springboard off of. The last song, outside of the instrumental version of “Buried Alive,” is an acoustic cover song of the metalcore act The Doomsayer’s “Diamonds.” It’s a beautifully transformed track that has completely stripped down to just (mostly) Scherer’s vocals and guitar. It’s a poignant track and just the sort of ‘out of nowhere’ switch up that Deadlock has always been good at doing. Scherer’s voice is perfectly suited to this slow melody and she really impresses with her gentle and emotive performance.
It’s been far too long since any new Deadlock material has graced these speakers. While Buried Alive is over far sooner than one might like, the sentiment remains. The German metalcore act was always great at experimenting and finding their own niche, and this EP shows that they haven’t lost a step over the years. Hopefully this is a fruitful new start that leads to more material sooner than later.