Dead Register – Captive EP

Band: Dead Register
Title: Captive EP
Label: AVR Records
Release Date: 2 November 2018
Country: USA
Format reviewed: Digital Promo

Dead Register is an American doomgaze, post-rock, goth rock “aggressive neo goth” band which is a must to listen to by all desperate souls out there who really love to sink into sad melancholy, with thoughts wandering into desolation and disbelief. The band is led by the husband and wife: M.Chvasta (vocals, bass) and Avril Che (low-low end, 88 keys, synthetic bass, piano bass, textures, backing vocals, live visuals, all band artistic media). The third member is Danny Ryann who is doing the percussions. By reading the description on their BC page I find that “Dead Register is a genre-bending, sad-sap, tortured, cry-in-my-coffee, gloomy, pretentious, heavy dual-bass band”.

With a demo “TRVNS BLVCK” (2014) and full-length “Fiber” (2016), now the trio come with their 2018 EP “Captive” consisting of five songs. I was really impressed when I heard it for the first time, and even more impressed when I continued to listen to “Captive”. The five songs present absolute awesomeness, sad beauty, pure melancholy, tearful joy and expression of one’s solitude. All this was emphasised by the falling leaves and autumn glow around me. Those five songs really brought me that mood of transience and obliteration of the small pieces we are. The life is something which comes and goes. A gift, a punishment, a joy, a torture. So prepare for the bleeding of the heart and soul, the memories, feeling of loss, and the physical pain.

The opener “Captive” is a great doom song, with clean vocals and desperate beauty (The Eternal meets My Dying Bride with Type O Negative/Katatonia vibes). “Ender” is more into the gothic tempo, Type O Negative-esque vibe, with a howling chorus. “Heresy” is The Cure meets To/Die/For meets Neurosis meets Fields of Nephilim meets Killing Joke meets The Sisters of Mercy gothic-dark wave – a gothic metal tune. Actually it is my favourite in this EP. “Blood from a Ghost” is a cover track originally written by Dead and Gone. The EP ends with “Monochrome”, a dark psychedelic track with twists and turns, cold solitude, isolation and a heavy finale. All the above mentioned bands are just to give a direction for the overall feeling. Dead Register are doing their very own personal product, ensuring drowning into the dark colours and moods.

Dead Register deliver a great piece for all the dark souls out there. Very impactful. I wished “Captive” was a full-length album so that I continue my experience with it in the dusk of the dying autumn day in my gloomy, abandoned castle, abundant of lonely shadows and ghosts from the past. Very much recommended. 8/10 Count Vlad

Band
Bandcamp
Facebook
Instagram

8/10 To Greatness and Glory
**Please support the underground! It’s vital to the future of our genre
#WeAreBlessedAltarZine
#TheZineSupportingTheUnderground