Deathmaze is the reunion of two of the most hyperactive members of the Belgian punk scene; Gregory Mertz (Daggers, Necrodancer, King Fu) and Julien Diels (ex-Cocaine Piss, Vuyvr, Elizabeth). Armed with a drum machine, the duo plays dark, metallic post-punk of the highest order, owing as much to The Cure as to Darkthrone.

Recorded only six months after their formation, the band’s debut album Eau Rouge shows a band that has already developed a strong personal vision. Tracked and mixed by Tim De Gieter at Much Luv Studio (Brutus, Every Stranger Looks Like You) then mastered by Cult Of Luna‘s Magnus Lindberg, these six tracks find the right balance between their members’ heavier, rawer roots and the more hypnotic, melodic yet unpolished trademarks of the genre.

Of course our resident post-punk misanthrope Michael Stronge has been listening to Eau Rouge… “Two Belgians and a drum machine? That fact alone is astounding in itself, as, on the likes of opening track Time Gun, monsieurs Mertz and Diels manage to conjure up the sound of a thousand grim faced, phase-crazed goths with a similar number of Fender Jaguars to grind…  Deathmaze are nothing if not authentic, and their sound will carry the listener right back to the late seventies/early eighties within an instant of the sound making contact with the ears. Closing track Cybercrime fuses a harsh, almost Colemanesque vocal to the jangle by way of variety, but the effect is just the same. This grim music for times that are probably even grimmer than when post-punk initially emerged, but that doesn’t mean the listening experience is a grim one. Far from it! Hats off, Belgian punk blokes!”

Eau Rouge Track Listing:
Time Gun
The Last Light
Pole Position
Half A Sun
Flames Eternal
Cybercrime

Eau Rouge is available today through Throatruiner Records