Biography

Schwarzenfeld, Germany's Deadlock first came into existence in 1998 but underwent numerous alterations to both their sound and personnel before arriving at a complex fusion of death and gothic metal, topped with the "beauty and the beast" vocals of Sabine Weniger and Johannes Prem for their 2001 debut album, The Arrival. The group was rounded out by guitarists Sebastian Reichl and Gert Rymen, bassist Thomas Huschka, and drummer Tobias Graf, and their follow-up efforts, Earth.Revolt (2005) and Wolves (2007), saw them incorporating electronic programming, symphonic orchestrations, and even harsher elements of black metal into their ever-evolving sound. Bassist Huschka would leave the fold the following year, citing "musical and personal differences," and was replaced by John Gahlert, who made his studio debut on 2011's Bizarro World. More lineup changes ensued, with lead screamer Prem and guitarist Rymen leaving the group in 2011 and 2013, respectively. The aptly named Arsonist, the band's sixth studio long-player and first outing for Napalm, dropped in 2013 and featured new guitarist Ferdinand Rewicki -- Gahlert would take over as the band's harsh vocalist. 2014's Re-Arrival, a collection of new recordings of previously released material, found Sebastian Reichl the only original member of the band still active -- Weniger took maternity leave the same year, and decided to make it permanent shortly thereafter. 2016's Hybris saw the debut of new clean vocalist Margie Gerlitz. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, Rovi