If you can get past the back cover of this cd without laughing, which features a picture of this gothic/futuristic-looking band making menacing scowls, then there may be a chance that you’ll like the music here. DEADSTAR ASSEMBLY play an electronic form of nu-metal that verges on industrial, but the drums sound more organic. The album is overloaded at 15 tracks, 3 of which aren’t even songs, but unnecessary interludes. It opens with an intro called “Unsaved Pt. 1" and soon enough kicks into “Unsaved Pt. 2", one of the better songs on the album. It has an almost punk vibe to it with the fast drumming and simple downstroke riffs, and a decent breakdown.
Aside from this scorching opener, there’s “Death Wish”, the last official song, a brutal and effective way to close the album. Problem is, there’s eleven songs in between the two great ones that fall into a droning formula, with overtly bleak soundscapes and lyrics. “Killing Myself Again”, “Dejected”, “Pale Blue”, “Bled”...we get it, you’re not happy campers, but at least find more creative ways of expressing that angst. If I had to compare it to anyone else, I’d say they’re a poor man’s version of MARILYN MANSON and MINISTRY.
