Band:	Deeply Confused
Album:	Isolated
Style:	Heavy metal
Release date:	June 2008
A review by:	Dream Taster

01. On The Lake Shore
02. Torments In The Shade Of The Totem Pole
03. The Thirtieth Thorn
04. Stuck In The Traffic With Kip Winger
05. Five Fallacious Phrases
06. And On The Screen...
07. The Darkest Day

Montreal, Quebec hosts one of the most prolific Metal undergrounds on the face of the planet. Deeply Confused is a young and talented group of musicians who intend to emerge from that scene with a killer first EP, entitled Isolated. While the musical formula is not without evoking Meshuggah, Deeply Confused manage to craft their own atmosphere of eerie brutality with entrancing melodies, effective guitar work and groovy bass lines.

The core of the band is composed of the two founders Stephan Filion [guitars, keys] and Gabrielle Morin [a seriously skilled drummer]. The combo also features Fred Bergeron as a second guitarist and Philip Chown on bass guitar. The Death Metal vocal work of Yan 'Klimbo' T. adds the final touch to a well-crafted ensemble. And let me tell you that those guys are not here to pretend. Matching if not exceeding the technical abilities of the best Thrash/Death metal bands out there, Deeply Confused is the real deal.

Despite the fact that this is an EP (below 30 minutes), Isolated has a lot to offer. While 'Torments in the Shade of the Totem Pole' is probably the heaviest composition, the variations included in the following songs are more representative of Deeply Confused. I should also add that the lyrics impressed me, with a direct approach to themes like death, suicide, religion, even the repulsion of incest and probably others I am yet to comprehend. With a little determination, this band could go far.

Although the production would have benefited from a more in-your-face approach, Isolated sounds professional enough to enjoy the content without second thoughts. The great work accomplished with the overall creepy but beautiful artwork must be at least mentioned in this review. This album is also proof that you don't need to do the whole international approach to release a terrific album as it is 100% Canadian.

Deeply Confused is not your run-of-the-mill Canadian screaming Death Metal act. Far from it, the musicians blur the edge of brutality with subtlety. In a high-class brand of Death/Thrash a la Meshuggah, Deeply Confused released an awesome, fresh, brutal but melodic opus. Isolated surprised me to be honest, as rare are the years when an album coming from a band that I don't know blows me away.