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An interesting little package all the way from France here, and what makes the debut release of the dubiously named Dividead so, is the fact that their chosen genre classification is way off. Dividead seem to be having a bit of an identity crisis, because one would assume from their promo-sheet and list of influences - the usual Scandinavian suspects - that they would play Melodic Death Metal. But "Beyond Death" is far too light to be considered as such, and in fact stands closer to sugary Power Metal of the fluffiest order. Not like I was disappointed - far from it - but when I was expecting total Bodom worship, I was greeted with what sounded an awful lot like Dark Moor with some French moron screaming over the top of it. Truthfully, "Premonitory Dream" is a kick ass tune; chock full of melodic lead lines, keyboard runs and speedy fervour. The EP continues in this bombastic fashion with the infrequent nod towards early In Flames or Dispatched ("Lies Fuckin' Lies") but by and large this is a pretty ambitious Power Metal release, and considering most of the musicians are from that background, the directionless slump Dividead are heading for isn't totally aimless.

Failing to find a market might be difficult for this young sextet, but with more experience under their belt, I'm sure they could deliver a cracking album - the production on this EP alone is of professional clarity. If anything, they have brought the talents of drummer Guiliaume Pastorino to the world, which are amongst the most accomplished in the business. As it is merely teething time for Dividead, I will reserve my judgement upon their intentional drive, but I still commend them for a job well done, because despite its freewheeling genre-sliding, "Beyond Death" is tightly arranged set of complex metal tunes sure to land them a deal sooner or later.