DEEPROOT came out of nowhere. They released their first single at the beginning of 2024 and dropped a 15-minute EP filled with samples and electronic-influenced deathcore. DEEPROOT came to slay. After hearing MIMIC, we were excited to listen to the full EP, so strap in for our full review.
Deeproot
DEEPROOT is a relatively new deathcore band from the Netherlands. Besides vocalist Sten, who is also known for his work with Ecocide, the other names didn’t really ring a bell for me. Which is strange, hearing the quality of music. Especially the production of the EP has a very high standard, which is, according to Instagram, Morgan and Denny’s doing.
Tight, clean and massive are keywords that describe DEEPROOT’s music well. The entire EP spans just over 15 minutes. It’s very coherent, so it might as well have been one, continuous track. The EP starts with a sample in Inception. The sample sets the tone for the theme of the EP, and immediately brings out the aggression. The crunchy sound of the guitars has us wanting more right away. And I imagine fans of Lorna Shore, Shadow of Intent and Suicide Silence will like this EP as well.
About the EP
The first track we heard from this band is MIMIC, and we were heavily impressed by the quality when it released. The use of samples adds to the heavy riffs and grunts, and there are plenty of technical guitar parts to enjoy as well.
Shadow Work and The Blade Itself were new tracks on this EP in addition to the intro track. Shadow Work is by far my favorite track on this EP, probably because of the orchestrations and the nice balance between melodies and heaviness. It’s a groovy track, and I didn’t know Sten’s grunts could pack such a punch. The Blade Itself is a dirty, angry, dissonant track. The guitars are so nasty they sometimes remind me of a screaming cat (might even be a cat, and not a guitar, if you listen closely). Still very groovy, still samples and orchestrations, but overall just a nasty (in a good way) track. Especially the chorus riff.
Frenzied is the odd-one out, in a way, with a bit more melody in the guitar riffs. I love those riffs, it reminded me of Shadow of Intent, but I really dislike the abrupt cutoffs where it’s just completely silent. It’s a style choice, I respect that, but I personally wouldn’t have made that decision.
Final Thoughts
My only dislike with this EP is that it’s too short. We want more from this band. Well, ok, not my only dislike. They should have fixed the cutoffs in Frenzied, because without those that would probably be a banger of a track as well. My favorite as it stands, however, is Shadow Work. If you’re just going to listen to one track, listen tot that one.
Tracklist
- Inception
- Shadow Work
- The Blade Itself
- MIMIC
- Frenzied
You can find DEEPROOT on Facebook.
