Leifendeth - Distorted Transmission 3: Deadwaves

Review by Karl Magi

Overall Album Impressions

Leifendeth's Distorted Transmission 3: Deadwaves is flooded with dystopian darkness and ferocious, spectral soundscapes. The artist weaves together a shadowed and threatening world, punctuated by disturbing sounds and massive percussion and bass. The spoken-word, chanted lyrics deepen the sense of peril and foreboding. A constant, oppressive weight and sense of desolation permeates the album's layered tracks.

One aspect of Distorted Transmission 3 that I particularly enjoy is the way the artist creates compelling and powerful soundscapes. The weaving together of sonic textures and colors, along with the ever-present sense of menace, paints a broken and fear-struck landscape. As the album unfolds, the artist guides us through this shattered and terrifying world. Metallic sounds ring, jagged-edged bass slashes and melodies burst forth in minor-key darkness, intensifying the atmosphere.

Another standout element of Distorted Transmission 3 is the lyrical content. The artist’s words capture the desolation and despair exuded by the music, speaking of endings and broken things, but also of defiance and radical acceptance. Delivered through chanted vocals rather than sung lyrics, they enhance the discomforting sensations of the tracks.

Atmosphere plays a crucial role in my enjoyment of this album. The music fills me with nervousness, making me glance over my shoulder, as if an imminent threat or looming danger were closing in. A mixed sense of rage and hopelessness emanates from the soundscapes, holding my attention throughout.

My Favourite Tracks Analyzed

“Deserter” opens with Stygian bass slowly vibrating with jagged edges as metallic sounds begin to bang steadily. A ringing tone accompanies chanted vocals—a poem cutting into the music with power and shadow. Smoothly intertwining notes weave around the vocals while colossal drums throb with insistent strength.

Darkly sinister tones rise as the two vocalists chant together, and a distant, ascending synth adds tension. Slamming, clanging percussion moves alongside a tightly wound synth as The Disasteress calls out, followed by Leifendeth’s voice. Uncomfortably twisting notes shift in the background, paired with ringing percussion and drums punching above a dark choir.

The Disasteress speaks and Leifendeth answers, their voices intertwined in poetic, powerful dialogue. Hammering sounds intensify the sense of danger as miasmic notes float through the track. Pulsing percussion drives the music forward while seething synth flows on an unstoppable low end.

The narrator declares they worship something eternal saying, “This love won’t die in me.” They compare it to a ghost that refuses to leave, adding that their mind is made up and they never gave up. They believe this love will set them free, calling it both a blessing and a curse.

The story explores themes of faded but persistent life, saying, “I’ve got a blood-stained soul, still seeing red.” The protagonist resolves to face love and hatred alike with a “white-hot spark that never fades,” refusing to leave or be left behind. They warn that “corruption terrifies” noting that the long road has been paved as the world lies “buried alive in a shallow grave.”

Hugely echoing, thick synth tones moving alongside the sound of distant rain to open” Unchanged.” A kick drum hits with muscled force as the echoing synth wanders. Haunted voices call out as gigantic synth walls cut heavily through the soundscape. The track swells with a constant sense of terror while the drums explode into rapid, pulsing motion.

Flowing sounds drift past as the swirling background floats. A glowing, descending synth exudes immense power as it cascades through the music. Elevated notes cry out, undulating and falling as the drums continue to burst and rush. The track carries an energy which feels both treacherous and engaging.

Shadowy, intertwining synth textures burst into another ringing layer, moving in short, bright bursts. A distorted voice roams through the music as the bass drops heavily. The vocals return with falsetto lines, harmonizing with a ghostly choir drifting past.

The narrator reflects on dark forces beyond the point of no return, urging others to "keep the monsters at bay." They suggest embracing vigilance as the time of collapse approaches. Echoing themes of sacrifice and survival, the track ends with crystalline notes trembling into silence as the choir fades.

“Moment of Collapse” opens with unrelenting, pounding drums and bass rushing forward. Fulminating basslines tear into the track with raw aggression as whispered vocals hiss out. The drums hit violently while spectral basslines drift through the background.

The vocals shift between chanted lines and whispered warnings, trading ominous energy between the two vocalists. Slowly intertwining synth notes weave through the music as the snarling, sawtoothed bass intensifies. Each element builds forcefully, creating a portentous sonic landscape.

The narrator warns to "tread lightly on this ice that's thinning every day" urging others to hold their ground and avoid deceitful figures who offer false solutions. They acknowledge impending collapse, urging listeners to stay vigilant and prepare for the consequences.

An uncomfortably trembling, elevated bassline riding through static-filled radio waves start off “Shortwave Shift.” Massive, throbbing beats create a driving low end, while an undulating, tensely wound bassline moves in trembling motion.

Above the hollow, smacking drums, a glimmering bassline carries a surprisingly melancholy melody. The juxtaposition of shining luminosity and seething low-end pulse creates dramatic tension. Chimes gleam with bright light and the melody’s hypnotic quality lulls the listener into a trance-like state.

The music builds steadily as muffled, crushing drums continue to pulse. Open-voiced melodies weave into string-like textures, creating an ethereal atmosphere. The track closes with crystalline tones and chanting vocals fading into silence, leaving a haunting impression.

“Not Again (Silenced Mix)” begins with silken, rippling notes that drift smoothly through the track. Strangely twisting vocals create a disquieting feeling as growling bass descends and a single drum pulsates. Now a powerful but tranquility-enfolding note pattern runs through the music above the void-deep bass. The whispering vocals hiss into the track with a sense of pure danger as the bass continues to descend.

Chanting vocals run through the music with a chilling effect as the background floats and the bass continues to deepen the danger. The drums and bass form a broken pulse as the surging, glowing bass runs out in threat-filled lines. The vocals chant as the background rises with raging strength, and the lost notes trail through the track as the bass rumbles.

The vocals have a shadowed quality as the background miasma intertwines with the luminous bass chords that move through the distance. The dark lyrics add to the sensation within this music as a melodic surge cuts into the music with razor-sharp edges. The lead singer chants out the words while the drums and bass continue to kick and throb. The swirling background is cut by the glimmering notes and the gruff-edged bass before the music ends.

Our storyteller talks about the fact that, in a world that's crumbling, many of us won't be saved. He points out that "society is imploding into itself; the survivors will be the brave." He adds that when chaos reigns, the evil will leach away the things that made us alive. He concludes that we are "morally dead, we’re fucked in the head" and perhaps we don't deserve to survive.

The narrator speaks of "a disaster of epic proportions" created by poor decisions and distortions of truth. Most humans encouraged the disaster when "they cocked the gun, then we put it to our head."

Our storyteller cries out that he doesn't want all the years of pain without cease to happen again. He doesn't want "all the strain inside my mind and body ache" because he doesn't know how much more he can take or if he can endure it again.

The narrator points out that when the world is ruled by "heartless men" atrocities seem never-ending. He isn't sure if he can mend anymore or survive the suffering again.

Our storyteller says that the leaders "wallow in crime and sin" while lying hypocritically. He adds that they are counting on people to let them win, so he encourages others to "take the blinders off your eyes and fight" because they have truth on their side.

A distantly sweeping sound and percussion ticking out into echoing emptiness as “Stealth Killer (In the Face Of Remix)” opens. Darkly intertwining notes move above the heavily rebounding drumbeat, and strange rustlings and uncomfortable shadows shift. The drumbeat is slow but powerful, creating shape as a steadily trembling, glowing synth floats with haunting lightness. I am enamored of the weighty strength within this track.

Computerized noises move in the distance as the heaving low end throbs, and a steady, scraping sound moves in the distance. Disturbing and uneasy sensations emanate as a twisted voice calls out unintelligibly to deepen the tension. A low drone moves along with elevated synth and laser-like sounds that impact the track. Now the drums accelerate to a hectic rush and propel the music ferociously forward as portentous noises echo in the distance.

The track has an unstoppable, raging quality now as it rushes forward with chanted words floating out into space. A medium-high, thready-sounding synth carries a minor-key melody, creating an ancient and terrifying feeling. The slamming percussion is unrelenting as the chanted word "die" repeats and the melody swirls with deadly intent. The track charges onward as a creaking, computerized-sounding noise continues to shift, and the melody drifts as the slamming low end closes the track out.

Discomforting radio static hisses to begin “Strange Dream.” A trembling, uncomfortable sound swirls and wobbles as the foreboding bass rises. Twisted vocals shiver and riffle, spreading more unsettling sensations. Delicate, tragic-sounding bells ring above a low end that strikes with ferocious force.

Bass surges in a hollow tide as the bells ring with a melancholy, nervous feeling. Percussion provides a steady pulse as the bass descends with terrifying strength. Rough-edged sounds rumble and elevated notes flash. Heavy blackness pours from the low end as a string-like synthesizer takes up the steady pattern above, while a haunting choir floats in the background.

The melodic pattern heightens the tension as the fragile choir hovers in the distance. The low end rises with dangerous strength, accelerating the melodic pattern as it gains speed. The bass becomes a physical force and the quickly rushing vocals move above the slowly undulating bass. A steady sense of wrongness pervades the music as the open-sounding bass roams, string-like synthesizers levitate smoothly, and fearful sounds continue to build.

Conclusion

Distorted Transmission 3: Deadwaves seethes with darkness and paints dystopic images of a society falling into despair and decay. I enjoy the way in which Leifendeth explores these twisted and shadowy images through layered soundscapes.