Reviews:

From Aquarius Records:

  Deadwood the group, existed long before the HBO series of the same name, but it some ways, they have a lot in common, mostly in the bleak, hopeless, windblown vibe that permeates them both. Featuring a member of Swedish black metal horde and long time AQ faves Blodulv, Deadwood offer up extended tracks of ultra creepy low end explorations, that run the gamut from abrasive power electronics, to slithering drone drenched black ambience. Fans of stuff like MZ412 and other purveyors of bleak abstract sounds will definitely dig this.

  From thick squalls of white noise hiss, like rain on a metal barn roof, to super blown out Merzbowian hiss, almost black metal in its buzz and intensity, to crumbling landscapes of tape hiss and low end rumble, slowed down vocals, and mumbled scrape and shimmer, to strange murky tribalism, to skipping soundscapes of demonic vocals and ultra distorted slowed down beats, to decayed orchestral snippets chopped and looped into impossibly mesmerizing rhythms, a dark and damaged world of sound, though while at its heaviest could be the harshest, hissiest BM you've ever heard, spends most of its time crawling and lurching through slow motion fields of rumbling sound. Awesome.

From Earshot: (By Mike)

  DEADWOOD ist das Black Industrial-Projekt des Schweden Daniel Jansson, ehemals Mitglied der satanischen Black Metal-Band BLODULV. Mit eben dieser Band erschien im Jahr 2004 ein Split Tape, noch unter dem Namen DEADWOOD MURDER. "8 19" ist nun das Debütalbum des Projekts. Musikalisch tendiert das Material stark in die Noise-Ecke, was ja nicht unbedingt mein favorisiertes Genre ist. Allerdings scheint besonders beim Gesang die musikalische Vergangenheit des Herrn Jansson durch, klingt dieser doch sehr schwarzmetallisch. Die Songs sind recht langsam und monoton, schlängeln sich wie Lava aus den Boxen und steigern sich nach verhältnismäßig harmlosem Beginn immer weiter zu Lärmeruptionen, welche die Boxen der Anlage und vor allem die Ohren des Hörers vor eine harte Belastungsprobe stellen. Lediglich "Crushing On" fällt da musikalisch aus dem Rahmen, man kann das Stück eher dem Dark Ambient zuordnen, die Lärmattacken fehlen hier völlig, dafür führt das Stück den Hörer in eine Dimension der Dunkelheit, welche weder mit Black Metal als auch mit Noise erreicht werden kann. DEADWOOD legen mit "8 19" ein außerordentlich schwer verdauliches Werk vor, welches zwar sicher eine schwarzmetallisch- bedrohliche Stimmung erschafft und dadurch sicher bei manchen Liebhabern von rohem Underground Black Metal auf offene Ohren stoßen wird, alle anderen seien jedoch gewarnt: So etwas wie Songstrukturen oder Melodien wird man hier vergeblich suchen, dem Macher der Musik ging es lediglich um das Erschaffen von möglichst kranken, destruktiven Klanglandschaften. Wer MZ 412 kennt wird wissen was ich meine!

From Heathen Harvest: (By T300)

  Oh Boy! I have been waiting with anticipation to hear this for quite some time. Deadwood AKA Deadwood Murder is a side project of Nekro from Sweden’s Blodulv, one of my very favourite black metal bands. In fact, “Pagan Panzer” was a masterpiece, no matter how you look at it.

   This is a Noise-emphatic album, which may take a bit of attention to win me over, as although I am not unfamiliar with Noise, I don’t rate it as one of my favourite genres, (Control were fucking excellent though).

   There is a very huge popularity with black metal artists branching out and recording ambient based music, especially among the Slavonic and Eastern scenes. One recent European success was Mikko from Clandestine Blaze’s “Alchemy of the 20 th Century” project.

  Six tracks at 50 minutes is very ambitious, in fact, apart from the final 4 minute number, the rest of the album has tracks at ten minutes or more.

  “Antabus” is actually a very twisted and enjoyable piece, its noise, but it’s low in the mix as to not deafen you, and the layers of static and chaotic noise are overshadowed by very disgusting spoken vocals, a real black metal element carrying over from Blodulv, and adding a nice shade of character to the album. Did I mention there’s wonderful necrotic screams too? Just take a Grey Wolves style track and slap vocals like Xasthur over the top of it (but more finely tuned and established), and this is just the foundation of what you can expect here.

  “8 19” carries a lot of ambient aesthetics, “Crushing On” is a quieter ambient track, with echoes of the Black Ambient terror that wouldn’t be out of miss on an Amaka Hahina cd.

  The title track takes us back to the roots, with more black noise, and the only words I can really use to describe this are fucking enjoyable. This will appeal to most fans of Black Metal, and perhaps even open the floodgates to a new collective genre to focus energies on.

  I honestly didn’t expect to like this, I expected to hear about two minutes of static hisses and loud guitar belches before getting bored and sitting in the corner, whimpering, but my mind has just been turned around. The Black Metal vocals really add a huge, necessary element to the album, and it is very likely to become a favourite.

  At this point, I’ll urge you to not just check out Deadwood, but to check out Blodulv too. Even if you don’t like Black Metal, because being able to make the comparison between both projects, and see where the similarities lie adds a lot of appreciation to this release.

  Another Cold Spring success.

From Dside:

  8 19 (2005 Cold Spring) è l‚album di debutto dello svedese Deadwood. L‚artista combinando sonorità dark, noise e metal riesce a sottrarsi dal rischio, caratteristico di molti dischi industrial, di cadere in un certa ripetitività. L‚atmosfera che ne consegue è assolutamente oppressiva e devastante!'Antabus', ci regala suoni taglienti e voci storpiate che si stendono su un tappeto di puro rumore. A momenti di apparente stasi se ne alternano altri in cui la tensione sonora è spinta al limite. 'Crushing on' ha un andamento più lento. Il frastuono si stempera per lasciare spazio a suoni ben distinti che si ripetono, ma a farsi protagonista assoluta di questo canto oscuro è una voce, malata e oppressa. I brani più distruttivi e trascinanti dell‚intero album sono '8 19' e 'Wither Sith'. In entrambi, grazie proprio a una struttura sonora accurata, l‚inquietudine emotiva provocata dalla musica, resta sempre elevatissima. Diversamente la successiva 'Bitch on the...', riesce a trovare unicamente nel finale tutto il suo vigore, riportandoci nuovamente a quell‚atmosfera da incubo creata dai pezzi precedenti. Il brano conclusivo '-', che si affida esclusivamente all‚elemento percussivo, sembra invece quasi voler stemperare tutta l‚inquietudine prodotta fino a quel momento.

From Vital Weekly: (by NMP)

  There is no time to prepare on this assault! Seconds after you begin the exploration into the evil territories of this impressive debut by Swedish composer Deadwood hell breaks loose. With a background as vocalist in Swedish black metal band Blodulv, Nekro ( a.k.a. Morn) has on this solo project changed the musical direction though he compositionally still operates in the spheres of extreme expression. Combined with a complete absence of melody or anything remotely resembling conventional song structures, Deadwood are stretching the notion of what constitutes music. This is true classic power electronics/death-industrial, combining heavy low-end rumblings, impenetrably dark atmospheres, moans and chants from the grave, and overwhelming feedback to create six works of abrasive brilliance. Bursts of shrill white noise and grossly distorted, malevolent sounding vocals provide a break from the monotony even though the main part of the tracks has a running time of 10+ minutes. Opening with the furious 11 minutes piece of full-throttle energy "Antabus" the poor listener are being washed over by giant waves of distorted noise explosions slowly building up until they explode in cathartic aggressions. Only sign left of the composer's black metal background is the vocal-style sounding like the characteristic black metal-stylish voice sucked into a machinery of aural machismo making it sound even more atrocious. Where the opening track took the listener into a heavy storm of sonic aggression the storm seems more distant on the following track titled "Crushing on" metaphorically comparable to the feeling of experiencing thunders and lightning from a distant horizon. The noise drones on "Crushing on" are subtle yet still threateningly active like boiling water. On the vocal side the black metallish blowtorch-voice have been substituted by a low frequency demonic one sounding like the devil himself. Despite its boiling activity "Crushing on" almost sounds like a tranquilizing new age piece of work in comparison to the track that follows after. The title track, "8/19", brings us back into the witches cauldron of full-throttle noise activity. And thus Deadwood changes the expressional back and forth between extremely harsh expressions and slightly more human sound levels. The amazing thing about this album is the way that Nekro manages to built a texture into the symphonies of sonic hell. The long-stretching noise loops create a discreet rhythm structure inside the drones of distorted extremity making it easier for the listener to wander unhurt through the 50+ minutes of aural madness. Listeners of extreme music will appreciate this debut from Deadwood demonstrating that Swedish Power Electronics/Death Industrial reaches far beyond Brighter Death Now and the Cold Meat Industry-territories. This is black art in its most beautiful form!

From Judas Kiss: (by AM)

  Deadwood is a one man project dating from 2003 who had previously recorded and released a split tape under the name Deadwood Murder. Changing to the more easily digested (who knows why) name Deadwood he finally found a label willing to release his 6 track Death Power Muscle Industrial music '8 19'. The nth wave to enter the fray intent on atonal destruction. Deadwood to his credit takes a slightly different approach to this style of music. Not for him the blitzkrieg approach of repeating endless soulless dirges of harsh noise and fluctuating frequencies which now seem so passé and stale. Instead he is far more astute to fall into those overplayed ploys. Although utilising lumbering behemoths of grisly harsh effects he tempers the sound with quiet electronic effects reminiscent of classic distorted cold ambience and pulsing beat patterns chiselled from the rock hard distortions creating a far more atmospheric recording than was first expected. These continual changes in diver sity and pace, sometimes within the same track, greatly enhance the "8 19" experience. Added to which is the vocals which sound ominously akin to a cross between speed metal Neanderthal grunts, whispers and screams and an alien dialect. The words being totally indecipherable to the ear. The resources of the power of imagination being called upon to make your own interpretations. You would be wrong therefore to assume that "8 19" is 'just another boring noise recording'. The sum of its parts go so much deeper than that. The sheer inventiveness encountered in "8 19" is a refreshing change from the usual gut wrenching cacophony associated with this music. There's a myriad of surprises to be found on "8 19" which are just waiting to be uncovered by the discernable listener.

From Mentenebre: (by Davo)

  He aquí el proyecto industrial de un anónimo músico sueco, relacionado estrechamente (el músico, no el proyecto) con la banda de Black Metal Blodulv, formación escandinava que un servidor no tiene el placer de conocer.

  Deadwood comenzó a escarbar en los pozos del Power Electronics allá por el 2004, cuando aún se llamaba Deadwood Murder, llamando la atención de un boyante sello inglés que, tras diez años de singladura, está irrumpiendo en la escena con fuerzas renovadas. Estamos hablando, cómo no, de Cold Spring Records.

  Su primer álbum con el label de las islas se titula “8 19”, y supone un debut más que loable en el viscoso terreno del ruido y del infierno. La primera referencia que se nos viene a la cabeza al escuchar el disco es MZ.412, grupo con el que nuestro protagonista mantiene abundantes concomitancias: son ambos proyectos originarios de Suecia, y ambos se solazan impenitentemente en los loops desgarrados y los feedbacks más desasosegantes. También en los dos nos encontramos con repentinos períodos rítmicos, pervertidas percusiones de resonancias nocherniegas e invernales que darán paso, paulatinamente, al escabroso mundo que los ampara y recubre con silencio y miedo.

  Hay, entonces, en sus insanos mutismos, así como en la peculiar manipulación de la voz, serios parecidos con otra banda referencial de Cold Meat Industry, uno de los actos satánicos más poderosos jamás orquestados, esto es: Mental Destruction. Y es a partir de tales correspondencias (principalmente, la visión más insalubre de CMI) desde donde Deadwood realiza un ejercicio de avidez y contención admirable, subrayando con verdadera sabiduría y perspicacia los espacios en blanco, sobrepesando los abruptos colofones de la distorsión mediante un viejo proverbio: poner toda la carne en el asador.

  Porque no se hace un disco de Noise Satánico si no se está en la convicción de que este género no sólo es posible, sino de que ofrece grandes posibilidades aún sin explotar. Y tampoco se hace desde la pose (tan característica en la mayoría de bandas de Black Metal) ni desde la franquicia innoble de un adocenado mercado discográfico que pareciera más bien macabro trasunto de la pasarela de modas más hortera Se hace porque se puede hacer. Y porque es un terreno medianamente virgen, un sexo aún sin violentar, fáustica ilusión de alcanzar la plenitud a través de la ignominia, la oscuridad real de un bosque desnudo en la noche, negrura infranqueable que nos cercena las certidumbres y nos revierte a ese estado primitivo en donde los temores ancestrales se hacen nuevamente con la pulsión de nuestros espíritus.

  Es, por lo tanto, incuestionable que Deadwood provoca en nosotros esa sensación desencajada, y que no ha hecho un álbum que pueda escucharse como mero escenario o trámite de nuestras lastimosas existencias. “8 19” se ha ejecutado para ser escuchado en la noche, atentamente, sin resquicio para la razón o la sanidad... Y mejor aún si se escucha de viaje, perdido uno en mitad de las tierras más impenetrables, soñando una salida para tanto infierno. O tal vez ya estemos en mitad de esa tierra ominosa, entumecidos por el frío. Posiblemente, El Bosque Muerto viaje con nosotros...
Pasen y vean la insoportable ranura del miedo verdadero. Asistan al inverosímil ritual de ‘Crushing on’, voluptuosa confesión de un alma en pena. Participen del baile mutilado de ‘8 19’, cáustica tamborrada del delirio. Por qué no se quedan a ver ‘Bitch on’, en donde el llanto se cobra su pieza... Piensen o no lo hagan, procuren recurrir a la suspicacia latente que aún conservan adormilada: la voz de los otros sólo se transmite a través nuestra, enturbiada y deslavazada, carcomida y sepeliada bajo la mente enferma de algún hombre que desafió a Dios.

From Transmisiòn: (by Keni)

  Dificil disco el qua ahora reproduce mi castigado equipo de música. Seis largos temas componen este nuevo trabajo de Deadwood, un disco donde los números impares corresponden a temas de noise industrial ritual sólo para iniciados, mientras que los números pares recogen temas dark ambient miás accesibles para el resto de los mortales. Quizás estos últimos sean los más recomendables en el sentido de que al menos no causarán estragos en tu cerebro ni oidos al escucharlos a un volumen generoso. Lo dicho, un disco sólo para iniciados y amantes del underground más ruidoso y duro.

From Twilight Zone: (by Michele Viali)

  Il progetto svedese Deadwood, al suo esordio con questo titolo, è incarnato da un unico musicista, già membro del gruppo Black metal di nicchia Blodulv con cui ha realizzato anche una cassetta split presentando il suo nuovo progetto col nome lievemente differente di Deadwood Murder.Le origini non si rinnegano e si sente non poco in questo album, in cui la voce growl cacofonica rimanda senza mezzi termini all’ambito metal più sperimentale. A dispetto delle poche tracce che compongono il dischetto, la durata è molto lunga con pezzi di anche 14 minuti, ma tutti piuttosto diversi, a formare un lavoro che, nonostante il genere, risulta alla fine abbastanza variegato.Si parte con la traccia Antabus, in pratica un terremoto di cui non riconosco ancora la struttura, con voce urlante in sovrimpressione, forse l’unico pezzo veramente noise del CD. La successiva Crushing on si staglia su toni più tranquilli, passando così dalla brutalità dell’inizio ad un’ambient comunque non rilassante, fatto che si ripete anche in Bitch on the…, altro pezzo d’atmosfera nera costruito su loops minimali. L’omonima 8 19 presenta uninteressante ritmo, unico e ripetitivo, che si trascina per oltre 10 minuti con le immancabili urla black a commentare il tutto e sempre su questa scia si muove la conclusiva e breve “-“. A farla da padrone è uno strutturato rumore anche in Wither sith, reso con un gracchiante sound di base e un sample circolare che ricorda l’ululato dei lupi progredendo poi con un bel loop dalla ritmica inusuale e serrata. Un disco immerso in un’aura satanica che rimanda ad alcuni lavori di MZ 412, e che si accosta a molti grandi della scena death-sperimentale scandinava. Ma pur avendo davanti un CD chiaramente industrial per modalità di realizzazione e per sonorità, mi sono ritrovato immerso in sensazioni algide che ottenevo di norma grazie a nomi della black metal scene norvegese, questione curiosa che rende merito e che mostra quanto forte e radicata sia la provenienza geografica (e climatica!) nonché artistica di Deadwood. Sicuramente non per tutti i gusti e per tutte le stagioni. Quest’album può essere apprezzato solo da chi ama certe releases estreme e da chi sa dosare con pazienza l’ascolto a causa di brani molto lunghi e certo non assimilabili se li si vuol sentire senza pause o con un’atmosfera non consona.

From Moving Hands: (by Johannes van der Meer)

  This Swedish one-man band brings us Power Electronics as it was meant to be. Harsh, noisy and with screaming distorted vocals. With one foot in the Black Metal scene as a member of Blodulv, Mr Nekro originally named the band Deadwood Murder but shortened it later down to just Deadwood.

  Pulsating hard and very noisy Power Electronics streams out of my loudspeakers and I like it. The vocals can be better described as Black Metal screams thru heavy distortion and they’re also put a bit in the background and that works really well as it brings out the music terrific. I also like the more zombie-like vocals that occur in some of the songs it gives it something more than with only screaming. If Mr Nekro decides to try some other kind of electronic music I would suggest he tried making some Dark Ambient because there are some mixed in his music and I really would like to hear some more of that.

  The song 8 19 is my favourite, it’s a really thick soundscape with noises and in the background you can hear a faint sound of pulsating beats. Together with the distorted vocals and the zombie vocals it’s an awesome Power Electronic track because it has it all. People into extreme electronic music should check this promising act out. Do it!

From Blow Up: (by Paolo Bertoni)

  Hanno poco da imparare gli svedesi in termini di power electronics estrema, Deadwood non smentisce tale fama con un debutto che alterna la brutalità furente ed inarrestabile di Antibus, in linea con l'ortodossia di scuola britannica sull'asse Whitehouse / Grey Wolves, o 8 19, una terrible macina tritatutto con un finale di una irruenza demolente, entrambe corredate ovviamente da imprescindibili urla disumane, ad episodi indirizzati versuo una dark ambient malsana notevolmente efficace sia nel dipanarsi inesorabile del tetro magma di Crushing On, sia nella ottusa iteratività percussiva della crepitante Wither Sith, a cui si accede attraverso il rintocco di campane a lutto, tipologie espressive che si congiungono idealmente in Bitch On The... che dissolve la stasi della sua inquieta intro con una raffica di esplosioni che piombano su roche ed imperturbabili declamazioni.

From Rock Hard: (by Paolo Sola)

  La prolifica etichetta albionica finanzia la prima prova di Deadwood, progetto patrocinato da un componente della black metal band svedese Blodulv. Accostabile, a grandi linee, ad MZ412 ed ai primi Brighter Death Now, il contenuto di "8 19" scandaglia i fondali del power electronics più psicotico, del death industrial ed una dark ambient quanto mai soffocante. La matrice satanista, che già anima l'operato del gruppo di provenienza, pervade anche le 6 tracce di questo debutto, come traspare dalle trame malsane ed interminabili di "Crushing On", 14 minuti di pura inquietudine dove si sprecano i richiami al principe delle tenebre. "Antabus", a cui è affidato il compito di aprire l'album, è un concentrato di schizofrenia incontrollata e rabbia lacerante, in cui l'interpretazione vocale si divide tra oscure litanie ed urla raggelanti. Un'impostazione non dissimile caratterizza la title-track, anche se la vena rumorista risulta ben più accentuata, mentre "Bitch On The…" smorza l'anima più intransigente del progetto, per esplorare paesaggi sonori tetri ma, al tempo stesso, ipnotici ed avvolgenti. Calarsi nel mondo di Deadwood è assimilabile ad una discesa nei meandri più oscuri e sconosciuti del pianeta Terra, in cui ogni spiraglio di luce è un lontano ricordo, dove l'aria è pesante, irrespirabile. Dunque, l'insostenibile claustrofobia di "8 19" è la colonna sonora ideale per la tenebra più fitta, impenetrabile, nera come la pece e pesante quanto una cappa di piombo. Considerata la particolarità della proposta, la fruizione dell'album potrà risultare ostica ai meno avvezzi a tali sonorità. I più audaci, invece, apprezzeranno…

From KMY: (by Jiituomas)

 Ruotsalainen Deadwood tarjoilee tunnin paketin näppärää voimaelektroniikkaa. Yhtyeen tyyliin kuuluu selvästi pitkien äänipintojen käyttö, pienet koossa pitävät rytmirakenteet (yksi ääni siellä täällä, mutta harkitusti) sekä tekijän metallitaustasta muistuttavat vokaalit - jotka tässä tapauksessa sopivat oikein hyvin kokonaisuuteen. Albumista jää hyvin outo tuntu: sen rakenteet ovat hyvinkin toimivia, ja kappaleet kiinnostavia - erityisesti vaihtelu noiseambient-tyylisten osuuksien ja huutavan vokaalipauhun välillä pelaa hyvin.

  Äänimaailma on kuitenkin hirveän ohut ja se syö kokonaisuudelta pahasti tehoa. Kompressoinnille olisi todella ollut käyttöä, sillä tämä on selvästi tarkoitettu lyömään eikä vain taide-esitykseksi. Artistin tyyli on selvästi tehokkaimmillaan voimakkaimpina kausina, ja hitaammat raidat kuten Crushing On jäävät varsin tylsiksi. Selvästi näppärimmin palaset loksahtavat kohdalleen MZ.412 -tyyppisissä kappaleissa. Erityisesti nimiraita on tästä mainio esimerkki, mutta Bitch on the ... -kappaleen viimeiset minuutit todella näyttävät miten hyvin konsepti parhaimmillaan rullaa. Kovin epätasainen kokonaisuus tämä on, vaihdellen mahtavasta tylsään, ja soundimaailmakin olisi kaivannut selvästi lisää rouheutta. Mutta on todettava, että Deadwood vaikuttaa poikkeuksellisen lupaavalta tulokkaalta, joten ainakin minä jään odottelemaan mielenkiinnolla jatkoa. Keskeneräisen ja hiomattoman oloinen, mutta ei missään tapauksessa huono.

From Phosphor: (by Paul Bijlsma)

  Noise can be pleasant at times. Power electronics are a good example of this. And presented by Deadwood this is even more true. Heavy distorted noise outbursts with screaming vocals on top of it are the main ingredient during the opening track by this Swedish formation. Mix The Haters, Brighter Death Now and MZ 412 and the outcome might be clear. However, their general concept during the rest of the album varies between devastating feedback plus noise assaults and death ambient with occasional hypnotizing rhythm patterns. The six tracks presented on Deadwood's debut album are relatively long, but as long as the compositions contain structure, the music is strong and powerful. Unfortunately this is not always true during 8 19.

From Sol De Pedra & Elegy Ibérica (by Pedro Novo)

  Deadwood Murder era o primeiro nome deste projecto antes de se concretizar em apenas Deadwood. Durante o Verão de 2004 foi editado uma split-tape deste mesmo projecto com Blodulv um projecto de Black Metal intitulado "The Havoc We Seek" e não demorando muito tempo, a Cold Spring acabou por mostrar interesse em Deadwood. "8 19" reflecte o powernoise no seu estado mais puro... Os sons são escavados de um ruido alterado, onde a voz, dura e desesperante rasga os sentidos canoros entrado no que chamamos de desespero. É a visão de Deadwood. Un dark ambient bem forte, tudo criado por uma criatura apenas. No entanto, as vozes sugerem grunhidos muito imperceptiveis, e dialector fora do existante, o que torna toda a informação poética (se é que podemos chamar assim) para dentro de un vácuo onde o próprio apenas entende. Este álbum transmite-nos sentimentos extremamente fortes, demoniacos e rudes na forma como intervêm com o mundo que nos circunda. É certamente un desses demónios em pessoa, que vindo directamente do frio da Suécia, nos transtorna ou mesmo nos adorna sentidos nunca antes experimentados.

From Fiend Magazine: (by Richard Stevenson)

  With the sole member of Deadwood having roots in the underground black metal scene—a scene obsessed with cold and harsh production values—it was always going to be interesting when such an individual tackled the power electronics sound, given that scenes penchant for obliterated sonic terrorism. Thus with the convergence of such influences, even the record label saw fi t to label the album with the following statement: “Deadwood is a relentless assault on the senses! Approach with due caution!” This certainly is an accurate way to describe this debut album from Deadwood. With six tracks and a play time of 60 minutes this album defi nitely delivers a walloping punch to the eardrum. Typically starting with a low menacing death industrial guise, the tracks are built on a loose framework of loops to give a minimalist structure, before ramping up the mood with a roaring maelstrom of distortion. As for evident hallmarks of the black metal scene, this would relate to the spoken/ screamed vocals, yet even these have been processed beyond recognition to be yet another sonic layer within obliterated wall of sound approach. Yet in appreciating such a vicious album, its overall effect is not necessarily a good thing for tinnitus suffers—myself being one of them. As such I don’t actually need an album like this to achieve that incessant high pitched shrill ringing tone within my skull. But if you aren’t one of the “lucky” ones like me, by all means seek this out for such result. However your discretion with respect of the label’s warning would be well warranted!

From Chain D.L.K.: (by Eugenio Maggi)

  Almost out of the blue comes this shockingly good Swedish one-man project - so good that an authoritative label like Cold Spring is here re-releasing his DIY promo CDR. Deadwood perfectly alternates, or mixes, the sheer, relentless aggression of power electronics and the morbid catatony of death industrial. He obviously doesn't invent anything new within those established genres, but his use of the tools of the trade and, especially, his care for arrangements and details are remarkable. Beginning with the subhuman yells of "Antabus", which in the vocal department clearly betrays Deadwood's involvement in black metal as well, the disc soon swamps in the muddy ambiences of "Crushing on", more subdued but not less menacing. The vehemence of the title track, where he screams his lungs off against a heavy rhythmic hammering, gives way to "Bitch on the...", which could be the companion to "Crushing on" - monotonous synth sweeps, controlled distortion and disturbing whispered/pitch shifted rants. But the most surprising track is probably "Wither Sith", with strange looped cracklings, funeral bells and more synth waves hosting the usual brutal vocal work. As I mentioned above, Deadwood is especially great at layering and structuring, so that even a minimal set of sounds never becomes stale (take synth sounds, for example - I'm definitely NOT a fan of synths, but I really have no complaints here). This care doesn't make the result less aggressive, but rather potentiates that. Truly brilliant stuff, which will surely please even jaded industrial listeners.

From Necroweb: (by Deathbringer)

  Das Ein-Mann-Projekt Deadwood wurde 2003, damals noch unter dem Namen Deadwood Murder, gegründet. Nach einem Split-Tape mit den Schwarzmetallern von Blodulv ist Deadwood nun bei Cold Spring untergekommen, und veröffentlichte dort das vorliegende Full-Length-Debut "8 19". Neben ein paar Dark Ambient Songs ("Crushing On", "-") herrscht vor allem ein hoher Noisegrad vor, der sich zumeist in tief dröhnenden und ausgefransten Soundwänden materialisiert. In schwerfällig-schleppenden Rhythmen walzt sich "8 19" aus den Boxen, schrill klirrende Noises, wie sie z.B. von Merzbow oft eingesetzt werden, bekommt man kaum zu hören, dafür aber stark verzerrte Schreie als Vocalersatz. Das Material wirkt zwar rhythmisch, ist aber dennoch zu weiten Teilen vom Aufbau her ziemlich monoton angelegt. Dennoch entwickeln sich Songs wie der Opener "Antabus" vom anfänglich eher düsteren Dark Ambient Charakter gegen Ende immer mehr zu schreienden Death Industrial Biestern und Noise Gewittern, das aber eben über eine Tracklänge von über 10 Minuten. Trotz des vorwiegend sehr langsamen Tempos entbehren die Songs durch die unruhige Noiseuntermalung nicht einer gewissen Aggressivität. Angepriesen wird das Album als Power Electronics, wer dabei jedoch harte Beats erwartet wird schwer enttäuscht sein, denn das "8 19"-Material ist weit davon entfernt tanzbar zu sein, jedenfalls im konventionellen Sinne.

   Deadwood's "8 19" erfindet sicher nichts neues, dennoch ist die Zusammenstellung von Dark Ambient bis Noise gut gelungen. Wer es sowohl düster ruhig als auch krachig laut mag, und sich mit den teilweise recht penetranten Schrei-Vocals anfreunden kann, wird hier eine ausgewogene Mischung finden. Auf Beats muß man hingegen verzichten, mit rhythmisch mitwippen ist also nichts.

From Monas: (by Roy)

  Cold Spring noise. When I put on "8 19" (unfortunately I haven't been able to find out what the title refers to, 19 august of some year?) and heard the uncompromising and unstructured extreme noise opening track, I feared that this would be a cd with a kind of noise that I can't stand. But after 11 minutes we go to track two and things get a lot better, very dark ambient, a little monotous, but nice. Almost 15 minutes later we go on to a better kind of noise, low frequencies, an industrial background, but still pretty damn loud. This goes on for 11 minutes after which a track opens with dark ambient, but going over in very dark noise, a really great track. The last two tracks are shorter, 10 minutes and 4 minutes. The fifth track has some kind of rhythm, but very slow and the last track is more like a dark industrial ambient piece. Accept for the first one, I really like "8 19". All track have the highly distorted vocals, but that is okay when the music is distorted too. It seems that nowadays noise tends to have the nice, dark sound that I enjoy and not as much making 'noise for the sake of noise'. Deadwood is also a good example of a noise act that doesn't stick to one kind of noise, bringing variety and innovation to the genre. That is nice, because I find myself enjoying noise more often than a couple of years ago!

From Orkus: (by Thomas Sonder)

  Derb ist's, und "in leise" kaum zu ertragen. Also: Volumeregler hoch und ab die Pest! Alp, Unwelt, Horror, Finsternis, total Schwärze... Eine unterirdische Höllenfahrt mit unsagbarer Räudigkeit, sechs Noise-und Industrial-Tracks, unfassbar dreckig, fies - und gerade deswegen ein absoluter Traum. Deadwood können mit 8 19 den strikten Weg ins Inferno bereiten. Traktor, Rückwärtssaufnahmen, Noise-Wände, Rausche, Lärm, aber auch Unterspuriges, nicht nur den lauten Krachwall beherrschen die Schweden wie aus dem Handgelenk. Und also ob das nicht schon genug wäre, gibt's noch einen drauf, denn: die Vocals gehören zum Derb-Kränksten, was das Power Electronics-Genre zu bieten hat - somit ist 8 19 DER Tipp (DER Trip: Wither Sith) für alle, die's wirklich und wahrhaftig richtig gnadenlos benötigen! (10/10)

From Gothtronic: (by TekNoir)

  8 19 is the debutalbum of Deadwood. Deadwood is a Swedish one-man-project that combines powerelectronics, noise and darkambient to create a powerful sound added by samples and metal-like screams. Some noise-albums tend to become quite repetitive or end up being just one big formless stack of noise. One can't accuse Deadwood of making these errors, however.

  8 19 is quite a varied album. The songs are reasonable to good compositions. The title song 8 19 itself stands out for being more structured and rhythmic than the other songs. I wouldn't mind hearing this song on a dance floor. In the other songs there is no or hardly any rhythm. The opening song Antabus is heavy powernoise with metal-like vocals and samples in it. The result is intense and oppressive. The other songs are mostly less harsh, more ambient-like. In 'Wither Sith' Deadwood succeeds in creating a strong, eerie atmosphere by using soundscapes that sound like crackling fire and churchbells. 'Crushing on' on the other hand doesn't come to development and is in fact the only weak song on the album.

  Deadwood has succeeded in making an interesting album that holds the middle between powernoise and darkambient. The album stays varied and fascinating by combining these styles, though the use of the metal-like vocals could have been a bit less here and there.

From Fiend Magazine: (by Richard Stevenson)

  With the sole member of Deadwood having roots in the underground black metal scene – a scene obsessed with cold & harsh production values – it was always going to be interesting when such an individual tackled the power electronics sound, given that scenes penchant for obliterated sonic terrorism.

  Thus with the convergence of such influences, even the record label saw fit to label the album with the following statement: “Deadwood is a relentless assault on the senses! Approach with due caution!”. This certainly is an accurate way to describe this debut album from Deadwood.

  With 6 tracks and a play time of 60 minutes this album definitely delivers a walloping punch to the eardrum. Typically starting with a low menacing death industrial guise, the tracks are built on a loose framework of loops to give a minimalist structure, before ramping up the mood with a roaring maelstrom of distortion. As for evident hallmarks of the black metal scene, this would relate to the spoken/ screamed vocals, yet even these have been processed beyond recognition to be yet another sonic layer within obliterated wall of sound approach.

  Yet in appreciating such a vicious album, its overall effect are not necessarily a good thing for tinnitus suffers – myself being one of them. As such I don’t actually need an album like this to achieve that incessant high pitched shrill ringing tone within my skull. But if you aren’t one of the ‘lucky’ ones like myself, by all means seek this out for such result. However your discretion with respect of the label’s warning would be well warranted!

From Sonidobscuro: (by Z)

  Deadwood se presentan como seguidores de las (sabias) enseñanzas de MZ412, esta vez desde Suecia, pero también provenientes de la escena black metal más radical, para insertarse en un estilo algo abandonado en la actualidad como es el death industrial, bastante más agresivo en este disco que en los clásicos de bandas como Megaptera o los primeros Brighter Death Now, pero sin llegar al power electronics que se cita en su promoción. Así, tenemos atmósferas electrónicas muy intensas en todos los temas, con distorsiones industriales casi dañinas en los momentos más “duros”, sobre las que se desarrollan las andanadas vocales, mucho más logradas en los temas menos agresivos por el filtro, demasiado electro-dark para mi gusto, que utilizan para los más contundentes.

   Los seis temas de ‘8 19’ van alternando casi exactamente las partes más duras con las más ambientales: a las tremendas ‘Antabus’ o la más rítmica ‘8 19’ (realmente brutal en su última parte), auténticos delirios industriales de dureza extrema, les siguen ‘Crushing On’ o ‘Bitch On The...’, que , pese a que sus títulos pudieran indicar lo contrario, se convierten en remansos de (oscurísima) paz para los oídos, con mayor protagonismo para las voces, más susurrantes y por tanto más inquietantes, más ambiental la primera y con ciertos tintes rituales la segunda.

  El esquema se rompe en los dos temas finales, ‘Wither Sith’ (quizá el mejor del disco), que comienza con campanadas de funeral y es la más “orgánica”, con las voces en primer plano y percusiones aplastantes de ritmo más contenido, menos agresivo en la forma pero mucho más angustiosa, y la final ‘-‘(y breve), también de corte más ambiental salpicada de percusiones metálicas, conclusión de este ‘8 19’. De la parte de presentación poco puedo decir, puesto que en la promo se advierte de que la copia que hemos recibido no se incluye el artwork definitivo. En cualquier caso espero que mejoren su símbolo, que parece un poco cogido por los pelos.

  Contrariamente a ciertas teorías que corren por ahí, para mí los discos de ambient, en cualquiera de sus vertientes, son para escuchar mientras los escuchas, no mientras lees, escribes o friegas los platos. De hecho supone un buen filtro de calidad: si un disco de ambient te permite estar haciendo algo más que escucharlo, que meterte en el mundo que propone el autor, es que no es bueno. ‘8 19’ es de los que requiere más atención, sobre todo porque se hace un poco lineal en las partes más duras y evidentemente no es apto para todos los oídos, pero tampoco es un mal comienzo para la carrera de Deadwood, y ‘Wither Sith’ es un muy buen tema. Esperemos que vayan subiendo escalones en posteriores lanzamientos.

From Gothisinfo: (by Distsync)

  After some ‘technical problems’ - misprinting, scratches on CDs and the factory that should have been printing the booklets burning down -, the debut album of the one man-project Deadwood, 8 19, is released under the flag of Cold Spring records.

  Before this album the project released the split tape The havoc we seek together with black metal-band Blodulv on the label Forgotten Wisdom Productions.

  The first track, “Antabus”, hits me like an earthquake of nine on the Richter Scale. The combination of distorted sounds, thunders of low tones and the demonic grunted voice kept my attention to the end. I especially liked the variations without the loss of consistency.

  The next song, “Crushing on”, is more laid back and takes you to shadowy worlds where there is no hope. The dark tension in this song is almost touchable. The title song “8 19” is full of rage and is more rhythmic than the rest of the album. Nonetheless it fits perfectly with the rest and sounds like the destruction of a construction company with evil machinery.

  Track four takes off where track two ended and evolves into something that wants to tear your speakers apart. This is definitely one of my favourites on this album. It picks you up and throws you down on the cold hard floor; a ruthless piece of work.

  On “Wither sith”, the influence of black metal is audible. The grunted voice with the pounding sounds fit together perfectly. I wonder though, what the voices are telling me to do. The last track of the album is also the shortest. The resonant bass sounds good, but in comparison to the rest of the album it is a bit disappointing.

  All in all, this album takes powernoise to another level. The diversity of it all takes you on a trip where you discover emotions you never knew before. The feel of this album is dark, demonic, but above all destructive and perverted in a good way. If you are into powernoise, it should be on top of your to-buy-list.

From Neurozine: (by John Wikström)

  Deadwood begun with the name Deadwood Murder, a one-man project with the only intention to fill the artists need for black and dirty industrial music. During summer 2004 a split tape with the black metal band The Havoc We Seek was released and shortly after that Cold Spring records showed some interest in Deadwood. This resulted in the release of 8 19 in august this year.

   This is noise when it's at the best point. I talk about variations, a masterpiece beyond comparison. If I close my eyes and lean back the music feels comfortable in a perverted way. I hear and see the music in a new way, like a war in a desert storm or a leaking gas pipe the last seconds before a spark sets the world on fire. I think the music is more than raging electrical instrument equipment that's often the case in this type of music. The best track on this record is "Wither Sith" closely followed by Bitch On The ...". Industrial happiness, best words to describe this. (10/10)

From Aural Pressure: (by ANM)

  The XL t-shirt is jet black. The big white lettering adorning the front proclaims ‘Deadwood’ alongside a mystical rune with ‘Swedish Death Industrial’ in smaller letters underneath. On the back is an even bigger rune incorporating the numerals 666. The excellent quality of material has survived many washes whilst retaining its shape. I’ve been wearing it for weeks. A mobile promotional tool for an artist whose debut I had yet to actually hear. Which seems strange. The fact is that due to many problems with manufacturing "8 19" (…which any labels bosses reading this will have great empathy over…) was delayed. T-shirt out on time. CD not so lucky. Those are the breaks. If nothing else it built up a rising anticipation, with the appetite fully whetted, for hopefully another quality Cold Spring release.

  Deadwood is a one man project dating from 2003 who had previously recorded and released a split tape under the name Deadwood Murder. Changing to the more easily digested (who knows why) name Deadwood he finally found a label willing to release his 6 track Death Power Muscle Industrial music ‘8 19’. The nth wave to enter the fray intent on atonal destruction. Deadwood to his credit takes a slightly different approach to this style of music. Not for him the blitzkrieg approach of repeating endless soulless dirges of harsh noise and fluctuating frequencies which now seem so passé and stale. Instead he is far more astute to fall into those overplayed ploys. Although utilising lumbering behemoths of grisly harsh effects he tempers the sound with quiet electronic effects reminiscent of classic distorted cold ambience and pulsing beat patterns chiselled from the rock hard distortions creating a far more atmospheric recording than was first expected. These continual changes in diver sity and pace, sometimes within the same track, greatly enhance the "8 19" experience. Added to which is the vocals which sound ominously akin to a cross between speed metal Neanderthal grunts, whispers and screams and an alien dialect. The words being totally indecipherable to the ear. The resources of the power of imagination being called upon to make your own interpretations.
You would be wrong therefore to assume that "8 19" is ‘just another boring noise recording’. The sum of its parts go so much deeper than that. The sheer inventiveness encountered in "8 19" is a refreshing change from the usual gut wrenching cacophony associated with this music. There’s a myriad of surprises to be found on "8 19" which are just waiting to be uncovered by the discernable listener.

  Now when anyone asks what my t-shirt means I can honestly reply…'Deadwood’s a classic Death / Power Industrial act who’s just released a 60 minute fucking stomper of a recording called "8 19". Give it a try. You’ll be justifiably impressed'.