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Deadscape is a band that plays a melancholy brand of melodic death metal on their debut album, Of the Deepest Shade. There are a lot of things Deadscape do on this album, from the sharp guitar sound and triggered drums to the vocal lines, that will sound familiar, but they also do a few things a little differently. The biggest departure from the "standard" formula is that the harsh vocals are female while the clean singing is male. I prefer the harsh singing, which is a decipherable and throaty bellow over the clean as those aren’t overly charismatic. They are obviously present to offset the harsh singing but are rather bland and don’t do anything to make the songs more engaging. I enjoyed the acoustic guitars and sparse keyboards on songs like "As Seasons Change" and "The Artist" as Deadscape use some beautiful melodies to enhance the gloomy, gothic vibe. The sound and the performances are very good and the songs, which struck me as generic at first, started to grow on me with each listen. Of the Deepest Shade isn’t a revelation but it is a good first effort from this relatively new band.