Deathwhite – Solitary Martyr (2015)

Hailing from the USA today we have a very melancholic band named Deathwhite. Delivering their second EP, “Solitary Martyr”, the band perfectly captures the late 90’s Katatonia / Anathema vibe and presents us with five dark and atmospheric songs. With a heavy and yet very depressive sound, this is one of those short releases that you will be stuck listening to for weeks.

Opening with the very dramatic “Pressure”, we are instantly transported to the year Katatonia’s “Discouraged ones” was released and that certain melancholic atmosphere that many albums had those days. The band’s music is quite well crafted greatly complementing a very heartfelt vocal performance. Not all songs are only mellow and the heavy opening of “Suffer Abandonment” is a great reminder of that. This track even features some excellent Doom Metal riffs thrown into the mix.

As we mentioned before, the level of melancholy in this release is very high and the somber track “Vein” is yet another testimony to the band’s expert songwriting skills. Perfectly layering intense vocal melodies over clean and distorted guitars, the band creates a very basic and effective musical mix that is nicely rounded out by some crafty drum patterns. Our favorite track is the intense “Solitary Martyr”, a song that has a certain Alcest/Deafheaven vibe with punishing riffs.

Closing with another depressive piece in “Only imagined”, we are left wanting a lot more music. The band’s unique sound is quite bleak and depressive, making them an instant hit for a wide variety of fans that enjoy highly atmospheric music that induces feelings of despair. With a perfect blend of heavy and mellow passages, “Solitary Martyr” is one of the better EP’s we have received in 2015 so be sure to check Deathwhite out.

Label: Self-Released

Release: August 14th, 2015

Genre: Dark Metal

Country: USA