OK, to take the easy way out I could say that this release from the German Death Metal band LIFELESS is Death Metal in the tradition of the early releases of bands as ENTOMBED, DISMEMBER and UNLEASHED. If you like their brand of Metal – buy this release, too. Well, I think it is rather unfair to compare LIFELESS only with those old bands as this recording has far more to offer than a repetition of what these bands already released many years ago. We have to accept that in Death Metal everything’s said and done, we can’t expect that someone reinvents the wheel again when talking about our beloved music genre. With “Beyond The Threshold Of Death” LIFELESS released an amazing piece of Death Metal, it’s brutal, it’s well played and above all the shredding guitar sound is amazing here, though the drumsound could be better. The guys produced this recording by themselves while the mastering was done by Vesa Kenttäkumpu from Swedish EVOCATION. Considering that this debut CD is self financed I’d say that this is a perfect start for LIFELESS and the 7 songs plus intro burned on this plastic disc will make you a great time to figure out that Germany has some cool Death Metal acts to offer these days. LIFELESS are one of those and I bet that their next release will be a killer. Check out www.myspace.com/lifelessdeathmetal to get a blast while listening to ‘The Final Sacrifice’ (killer track) and to get in touch with the guys to order this cool recording.

One of the newest additions to Ibex Moon Records roster, the German LIFELESS unleashes their debut album “Beyond The Threshold Of Death”. Mastered by Vesa Kenttäkumpu from the Swedish EVOCATION, the label has tagged it as ‘traditional Death Metal’. I dare to ask myself, is there such a thing? Traditional to whom? Anyway, enough philosophy. What we have here is a crushing Death Metal album. Maybe one too many recent bands are trying to recreate the sound of the early-90s Swedish Death Metal. LIFELESS is a good example of those bands that are doing it right, combining a good old mid-paced attack with a few blast-beats and a really heavy production. I really liked the vocals. Marc does a great job with his hoarse grunt, even though his one-dimensional style can get a little tiring after 3 or 4 listens. Music wise, the execution of all instruments is flawless and at the same time, all out dirty. Bass and lead guitar work are good but nothing outstanding. I didn’t really like the drum sound. It is a little ‘stale’, in my humble opinion. There are plenty of good guitar riffs here and there, but the songs lack that ‘hook’ that makes them memorable. Being this their first album, LIFELESS should work on those little details that make a good album great! Any Death Metal fan should enjoy this one, even though I was not impressed. A band to look out for in the future. By the way, included on this re-release is a really good cover version of DISMEMBER’s ‘Casket Garden’. All further info at: www.ibexmoonrecords.com, www.myspace.com/lifelessdeathmetal