Deathdream - Night Terror - Album Review

Night Terror

Deathdream

By Stefan Reyners

Deathdream is the project of Body 125’s William Borrie. Titled Night Terror, the artist’s recent EP is small in length but big in volume and purpose. Having released a self-titled debut EP back in 2008, Borrie’s latest three song effort sees him experiment more freely with a wider range of atmospherics. In essence, the EP is gargantuan guitar rock whose fullness benefits from some solid digital backing.

In merging a wall-to-wall guitar sound with indiscernible vocals and touches of industrial know-how, Night Terror recalls the abstract approach of Kiwi predecessors Bailterspace, giving Borrie’s EP a nostalgic feel which allows for its internal horror to be thrown into sharper relief.

Opening track ‘Endless Knot’ wastes little time in laying down the gauntlet as its various parts wrestle with one another during three minutes of captivating impenetrability. Following this resounding introduction, second track and EP highlight ‘Exquisite Corpse’ duly takes things further as its aching melody tries desperately to escape a background of ominous figures voiced through a combination of faint, low murmurs and apprehensive effects. Finally, closing number ‘Thousand Yard Stare’ acts as a fitting climax to the EP with Borrie’s charging guitars attending to a finale that feels like an eventual escape from the woods or emerging from a nightmare as the EP’s title becomes all the more appropriate.

Deathdream

• Review: Deathdream - Night Terror  (06/07/10)