CoC : Deep - Pieces of Nothing : Review

Deep - _Pieces of Nothing_
(Pavement, 2000)
by: Aaron McKay (7 out of 10)

What I enjoy the most about this group, I think, is how they break down the music. Sometimes there will be a nice open, airy passage in a track, then guitars fill in and fade off to allow the drums to exhibit themselves. Many combinations of Deep's instruments are utilized within a song and not always simply having just both guitars, bass, vocals, and percussion simultaneously. This is used very well right from the very beginning on "Hear Their Own". This approach adopted by the band sure creates a nice sound. Jerome Hoofnagle maximizes his range from a parched whisper to a full-blown grated death growl, which is also impressive. This being my first foray into Deep's world and never having heard their initial full-length effort, _The Reach of Envy_, I can understand Logan Mader's (Machine Head / Soulfly) interest in producing _Pieces of Nothing_. I sometimes think I can hear some of the influences of bands such as Machine Head and possibly a Sentenced injected Misery Loves Co. with a dry rasp death shred vocal style. After getting picked up by King Diamond for a tour, I doubt Deep will need too much help making it into even bigger, better known metal circles. I might suggest as a piece of constructive criticism that Deep might want to add a touch more diversity to their ventures; sometimes tracks on _PoN_ -can- sound pretty samey. Lyrically speaking, relatively deep (pardon the pun) with meaning and the production is truly solid, too. The attention surrounding Deep is warranted indeed. Pick up _Pieces of Nothing_ and immerse yourself.

(article published 25/10/2000)