Band : The Deep Eynde
Album title : Spellbound
Label : Fiend Force
Distributor : Cargo Records – Sonic Rendezvous
Release date : 04/06/2010
Release : CD

This Los Angeles based band has been around since 1990, fronted by singer Fate Fatal all that time. Although this is only their 6th album, the band's mix of DeathRock & Punk has served as an influence to many of the Second Wave Gothic bands around the world. The first line-up of the band (with local musicians) existed until 1992, when Fate was asked to join Kittens For Christian with whom he recorded two albums, all the while keeping TDE alive by making demos.

When he left KFC in 1995, Fate resurrected TDE with new musicians, recorded the band's debut album City Lights (released that same year by German label Apollyon Records, the band's dark sound at the time reflected Fate's influences from Siouxie And The Banshees and Bauhaus), and took the band on tour across the USA. Recording-wize, it would take until 2002 before the band released their sophomore album Suicide Drive (again through Apollyon), with a sound which was somewhat harsher, due in part to having lived together with Anarcho-Punk act Naked Agression. It was the first album to feature Resurex and The Insaints guitarist Daniel DeLeon and drummer Hal Satan (of Penis Flytrap & 45 Grave), and had a guest vocal appearance by famed Goth Lady Gitane Demone. Unsigned again, third album Shadowland caught the eye of skateboard legend Duane Peters, whom released the album in late 2004 on his record label Disaster Records throughout the USA. By then DeLeon was replaced by guitarists Eric Lau and Justino Franco (the latter would stay only until somewhere in 2005). The album was then picked up by German label (I Used To Fuck) People Like You Records for European distribution in 2005, immediately making the charts thanks to previous European promotion. TDE started touring outside of the States, concentrating on European festivals. By the time the band reconvened in the studio to record Bad Blood (People Like You, 2007) Lau had been replaced by current guitarist Stress (real name Daniel Overberger). Recordings were done with extra guitar from DeLeon and Franco, and bass were done by session musician John McCoy. Following the recordings the band recruited current bassist Rob Graver. Mid-2007 a last change came in the line-up, when long-time drummer was replaced by new skinbasher The dAr (well...actually there was a period in 2009 when Stress was replaced by John McCoy, and a guy called Ashes, but he's now back on his intended spot). In 2008 People Like You released an album titled Blackout, about which I have no further details.

If you'd ask me to start talking music when talking about this band, I would have to say I was slightly disappointed with this first acquaintance. You see, in spite of the dark portrait the band gives about themselves, that part of the music is really rather “common” in the genre, and in fact rather stereotypical. Musically, the guys play a type of Hard Rock which quite frequently resembles that of The Almighty (admittedly, there's also plenty of moments when they don't – like in the songs where co-producer Chad Blinman adds some nice organ licks), and one shouldn't be surprised to find the guys harking back to a sound of the '80s! After listening to the album a couple of times, I'd say this is one for a broader public...and the more “Pop” geared type of Gothic fans, I'd say. Notable about the album is the recurrence of Gitane Simone bringing backing vocals to “Waiting For The Devil” and “Ghost Heart”, plus Daniel DeLeon singing additional vocals to the songs “Save Your Own”, “Strange Little Girl”, and “The Outsider” (not that I would've known had the fact not been stated in the booklet). Additionally, there's some uncredited female lead vocals (a type of “spoken word” which ay well be from some b-type horror flick) on the tracks “The Stranger Among Us”, “City Sinner” (which happen to succeed each other on the album), and the “Emily Bronte” remix (also additional dance beat) of the album track “Love In Shadows” (used as album closer). Including that remix, you get no less than 15 tracks for a total listening time of nearly 72 minutes. Buyers will certainly get their money's worth, I'd say!

To give the uninitiated listener an idea of what the band sounds like, they posted a good amount of tracks at their MySpacepage (less from the new album than from older ones).

84/100

Tony.