Band:	The Deathtrip
Album:	Deep Drone Master
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	November 14, 2014
Guest review by:	toxx

01. Intro
02. Flag Of Betrayal
03. Dynamic Underworld
04. Making Me
05. Cosmic Verdict
06. Sewer Heart
07. A Foot In Each Hell
08. Cocoons
09. Something Growing In The Trees
10. Syndebukken

I got a hold of this one as soon as it came out, despite the fact that I had just heard about them a couple of weeks before the release. I knew that Lord Aldrahn did the vocals, and that Snorre Ruch had mixed the thing. That did it for me. And like other projects that has involved these two, it has taken years to finish this album too. Vocals were recorded as much as six years before the release.

Sound wise, the album is clean and simple. The sound and production might be a tipping point between love and hate for the listeners. The main focus seems to be on the vocals, closely followed by the guitars. Bass and drums are tuned down quite a lot, and almost reduced to sheer background noise at some points. Well produced in my opinion. They have created a sound that suits them perfectly.

This album paints landscapes as it goes. It's like walking through a snowy Norwegian forest at night. Clear, crisp and cold, like black metal should be played. Host, the guitarist, has done an excellent job with the riffs and guitar work. Not re-inventing anything, but playing black metal as it is supposed to be played. Just about every track gives me the chills and goose bumps at some point. I'm a sucker for obscurity as well, and Aldrahn's vocals really hit the spot for me on this one. The lyrics are also well written, mostly based on Aldrahn's personal thoughts and philosophy. There is so much variation in use of voice through the album that it's almost hard to believe that it's just one guy.

All in all, this album is really good. A positive surprise, and a strong contender amongst my favorites from last year.