Unlocked - Bedlamite (review)

Bedlamite is the debut album by Unlocked, a new death metal band from Eindhoven. Though this formation might be new, their members have earned their fame in the Dutch metal scene through various other bands. If the name ‘Prostitute Disfigurement’ doesn’t scare you, strap in for a tour of the mentally unstable in Bedlamite.

Bedlamite

Bloodcult starts of with some sparse guitar chords, until a few moments later the heavy drums and grunts kick in. It’s not a heavy wall of sound all the way to the finish though, as some other deathmetal bands tend to do. There is definately room for interesting riffs on this album. Guitarist Benny said in an interview with RockPortaal that the focus nowadays is much more on the energy than on interesting riffs, and that he would like to bring that back. That mission is clearly heard on Bedlamite. For instance in the opening of Junod’s Way. Besides interesting riff, this track offers a nice groovy ending as well. That makes sense though, as the next track Show of Bedlam, starts with that same groovy energy, but it doesn’t take long to go into full blasting mode again. This track is again layered with more than enough interesting riffs, and plenty of technical death influences. Because of that it might even be a bit on the progressive side, as it feels slightly chaotic in some places. Which I totally do not mind. Enough variety to keep things more than interesting.

Speaking of Riffs

The riffs in Shackled in Irons might be the most iconic riffs of the album, and the track treats us to some guitar solos. Speaking of interesting guitar riffs, another one is found as the main riff in Trapped Inside. Also speaking of chaotic tracks, this at least just as confusing as Show of Bedlam. It’s still nothing to be bothered by, but it’s hard to follow what happens in the fast riff of what feels like the post-chorus. It fits the theme of the track well, however. I imagine going crazy trapped inside the walls of a mental institute and this track conveys what that might feel like.

Room to breathe

We get some breathing room after Trapped Inside with the beautiful guitar melodies in the intro of Crimson Walls. Again, a chance for the guitarist to prove their skill. And the band as a whole their songwriting skills, as we get slammed by pounding drums and fast guitars just a few moments later. This track is again reminding us of the tech-death scene. And the fast riffs continue with the final track of the album, Evil Incarcerated. The easy-to-shout along Evil Incarcerated comes at the right time, at the end of the album to keep us engaged till the end. It’s one of the few places where the lyrics actually come through clearly, because the pronunciation in the grunts gets a little lost. Not that it matters too much, with music like this.

Final Thoughts

Bedlamite is an interesting album and a great start for Unlocked. You can hear these are weathered artists, who thought about every riff and composition well before it got recorded. Sometimes maybe a bit too much, resulting in slightly chaotic compositions. Overall, I really enjoyed listening to these 30 minutes of Death. Keep ‘m coming Unlocked, we want more!