Dead Register – Fiber (Review)

This is the debut album from Dead Register, a post-metal band from the US.

This is a slightly different take on what most post-metal bands are doing, and Dead Register have managed to pull off an unusual feat – Fiber is not an album that readily sounds like many others out there.

The music is doom-infused 80s darkwave, filtered through death-rock and with a discernible Isis/Neurosis influence. Taking cues from the titans of post-metal, Dead Register add in layers of electro-pop and Gothic elements, resulting in an album that sounds darkly vibrant and rich in sumptuous textures.

These tracks are brimming with emotion and atmosphere, and that’s before you even factor in the singer’s laid-back croon. His voice is seductive and drips with feeling.

Fiber is an album that is worth taking the time to savour appropriately. You really have to let the melancholy and dark moods wash over you in slowly unfolding waves, as the music takes you to far away places draped in velvet and silken mysteries. This is the world that Dead Register seem to inhabit, although it’s ephemeral and fleeting, so it’s hard to be sure.

There’s a certain lean muscularity to the guitars too, with riffs that bands like Isis and sometimes even Tool would be proud of. These heavier aspects enhance and accentuate the innate dark beauty of the rest of the music, and work with the opulent vocals to create a fully immersive experience.

The word I keep returning to when I think of Dead Register is ‘rich’. This is a very rich album in almost every way. It’s an album that you need to sit down with and absorb, letting its dark charms work their way deep into your mind.

A highly recommended listen, especially if you want something a little different out of your post-metal.