Video Premiere: Dead Register – ‘Captive’

Atlanta’s Dead Register mix up a strange brew. The power trio, consisting of husband-and-wife duo M. Chvasta and Avril Che each on bass-plus-extra duties and drummer Danny Ryann, play a moody and highly melodic kind of gothic doom that has more in common with Deftones than The Peaceville three. At their best, I think they write the kind of music that more well-known bands like King Woman aspire to make — an atmospheric update to a classic sound, equally indebted to Black Sabbath and My Bloody Valentine. Chvasta in particular shines; the man can sing and his vi bass, a baritone variant of the rock staple, creates an interesting timbre. Truly, you don’t really miss guitars here, which isn’t often the case for bass-centric bands.

Dead Register released their Captive EP in the beginning of November. The independent release of that EP seems to have been overshadowed by year-end list mania. Maybe the sensual music video to the title track will change all that. Starring professional dominatrix Goddess Cheyenne, the video features rope bondage and a few other explosive surprises. A bit on-the-note for the title, but my inner thirteen-year-old boy still clings tightly to his Lord of Acid best-of CD and gets a kick out of it. If you get a kick out of it too, maybe check your bank account and look at Cheyenne’s website—we won’t judge you if you do.

Order Captive on Dead Register’s Bandcamp.