Deep Coma- Despair As You Stare

The schizophrenic duo from Portugal is back again with their first full-length. This album is nearly twice as long as their debut demo. Those familiar with the demo will be happy to know that they are still churning out some very odd sounding metal. After listening to Despair As You Stare one thing is certain, Deep Coma is one of a kind. This is what I imagine a tweeker hearing in their head when they withdrawal after a week long binge.

Overall Despair As You Stare is an extremely aggressive album. While it does still feature plenty of the eerie calm moments that made Down the Gutter so interesting it tends to focus much more on angry, pounding moments. At times tracks will break into a disorienting rage. The previous demo had some moments like this but it no longer seems forced like it did before. One of the highlights of the album is the very interesting cover of the Sepultura song "Refuse/Resist". Deep Coma definitely gave the track a completely different sound. Imagine Sepultura having a recording session shortly after taking an assload of downers.

For the most part the guitars bring forth plenty of chunky grooves. There isn't as much chugging used here as there was on Down the Gutter. The variation of riffs keeps the tracks from dragging like they did previous. This definitely is one of the biggest improvements when comparing this to Down the Gutter. Another major improvement is the vocals, my previous review mentioned that they sounded a bit forced at times. That problem is completely gone on Despair As You Stare, they sound very natural and angry as hell from start to finish. The production on this album is very similar to Down the Gutter. The drums are a bit loud in the mix and the guitar gets drowned out at times. The drums being so loud can be a bit much at times but it doesn't take too much away from the overall quality of the album.

Overall Despair As You Stare is a solid full-length. I can't necessarily say that Deep Coma creates music that is for everyone, but if you are looking for some very odd metal that features a little bit of everything than this is worth a listen. Deep Coma has been working at mastering their sound and Despair As You Stare is without a doubt a step in the right direction. Fans of the previous release will not be disappointed.