DEADLIFE - The Order of Chaos

(Newretrowave 2018)

DEADLIFE is one of the most promising new producers working in the darksynth style. I quite liked his debut for Lazerdiscs, Bionic Chrysalis. But how will the follow up sound, now that he's jumped ship to NRW?




At its best moments, The Order of Chaos feels like the soundtrack to a really cool videogame about transhumanism and kicking ass in a terrifying reality. At other moments, though, it's just too full of EDM cliches for my tastes--aggro wobble bass, especially. I mean, some is okay, but it is easy to get fatigued from hearing it again and again. That said, DEADLIFE occasionally shows a smart sense of groove, which I really appreciate. I especially like "Metro Mission," "Anxious Souls" and "New Horizon," which are all very sophisticated compositions and have quite a bit of soul. They suggest layers of talent to the artist that we have not seen yet, but which may be forthcoming.

Also notable is the fact that this is not a retro '80s record. Basically, if you want proof that darksynth is moving away from its '80s roots, then this is it. While that is lamentable to me, I am happy that The Order of Chaos embraces the sci-fi themes that dominated earlier versions of dark synthwave, but which are frequently missing or poorly developed among new practitioners of the style. The end result is certainly compelling, though for me it's best enjoyed in small doses.

Score: 7.5