The album is barely longer than half an hour, meaning that I have EPs in my collection that are longer than it. This is not a criticism, however. All too often albums in the CD age have been too long, and Arrival is a very digestible listen thanks to its short runtime. It also flows nicely, and it has been structured to have the feel of two sides of vinyl - despite the album not being currently available on vinyl. The album contains ten songs, with tracks one and six being atmospheric spoken-word pieces that set the tone for the four songs that follow each. I like the way that the album flows, and it adds significantly to the listening experience in my opinion. As such, then, the album starts with its title track; a short piece that is largely atmospheric in nature - with multiple voices saying 'This is DeadFlight' over and over again in a rather Pink Floyd-esque manner. The piece itself gives little clue as to the overall sound of what is to come, but the dense synths and haunting spoken word certainly has the desired effect. It is left to Exhale, the first song proper, to establish the sound of the band. It is very typical of the eight true songs here, and the riffing of guitarists Ryan Duggleby and Sam Brookes hits hard from the off. I am not familiar with any of the band members, other than Richmond of course, but all do their bit to help Arrival sound as good as it does. The guitar playing is very typical of the modern hard rock style, but the riffs are all memorable and the album is extremely catchy as a result. Exhale is packed full of energy, and this stems from the main riff. That being said, however, there is still a dynamic approach taken throughout. The verses are somewhat stripped back, with the guitars taking a backseat to allow Frank Woods' snaking bassline to dominate. The rhythm section of Woods and drummer Tom Almgill are tight throughout the album, but the verses of Exhale show their interplay nicely. The guitars kick back in in a big way for the choruses, however, which ups their overall power. Richmond sounds as good as ever vocally, and anyone familiar with Glamour of the Kill will instantly recognise his approach. His knack for crafting a great vocal hook has not diminished at all, and the song's chorus actually reminds me of the sound that Glamour of the Kill took on their 2014 EP After Hours. The song is one of the standout cuts here, but in truth the whole album is of a similar quality. Speaking in Tongues opens with a low key version of its chorus, but another big riff soon kicks in. The song is slower in pace than Exhale, and instead goes for a much more groove-based approach. The riffs snake as a result, and Woods' bass is a big part of the sound. It is the first song on the album that revisits Richmond's old metalcore vocal approach too, with a bridge section that includes some dirtier riffing and his harsh vocals. These moments are relatively rare, but they help to spice things up nicely when they do appear - and in Speaking in Tongues they help to offset the poppy chorus with something a little dirtier.
Warriors ups the pace, and the song's main riff has a very 1980s feel to it. While not exactly a hair metal piece, the song certainly borrows from that sound - but pushes it into the modern day. It helps the song to be another real slab of melody, and there are tonnes of hooks throughout. The main riff is the first of many, and the chorus is another moment that really impresses. All of the choruses here are memorable, but Warriors' effort is certainly made with being played live in mind. It has a great pace throughout, as well as some extremely catchy gang vocals which are made for a crowd to sing back at the band. There is even a version of the chorus which is essentially just backed by the drums, which is a classic 1980s hard rock trope. It might be an old trick, but it works well here - and the song is another highlight as a result. Your God is heavier, and the good-time vibe of Warriors is largely dispelled immediately. The song's main riff has a bit of a sludgy vibe, which helps to ground the piece nicely - and this heaviness continues on throughout. The verses are actually quite atmospheric, however, despite this heaviness. Richmond sings in a slightly more restrained manner than usual, before ramping up for the heavy choruses. The song is another that features a much heavier bridge section, with some of the grittiest harsh vocals heard on the album. A reprise of this section also closes the song, and the song is easily one of the album's heaviest as a result. The slab-like riffing mixed with the harsh vocals makes for a tough-sounding piece, and the song ends 'side 1' perfectly. This is DeadFlight follows, which acts as the opening to the second half of the album. It is largely built around a distant-sounding guitar melody, which masks some murky spoken word lines - before everything drops out and one last 'This is DeadFlight' is said. Hands of Time launches the second half of the album proper, however, and like Exhale it is another great riff-based piece, but this time the song takes a heavier path. I have tried to avoid comparing DeadFlight to Glamour of the Kill throughout this piece, but there are moments throughout Arrival that have similarities to Richmond's former band. Hands of Time is possibly the song here that contains the most similarities, however. There is a mix of clean and harsh vocals throughout the verses, which harks back to the sound of 2011's The Summoning, and the chorus melodies really go for that epic sound that Glamour of the Kill went for - particularly in the early days. The band's later work was somewhat more restrained, so it is nice to see Richmond revisiting his past a little here. The chorus really excites me as a result, and it contains more gang vocals which will no doubt make the song a winner live. All the song is missing is a big guitar solo, but DeadFlight do not seem to be that sort of band - which is fair enough. The riff is key for DeadFlight, and that is certainly something that impresses about the album.
Speaking of riffs, Ghosts opens with another great one. Like Your God, the song is a little slower than some of the other pieces here - at least early on. The main riff has a bit of a doomy vibe, but the song itself is still very hooky. The riff seems less doomy when the rest of the band kick in and it can be heard in the context of the song, but regardless of this there is less of the upbeat vibes that are present throughout much of the material here this time. The song is one of the album's heavier cuts, and this is reflected in Richmond's vocal approach in the chorus - which is much more 'shouted' than usual. This works well, however, and there is something of a punk vibe added to the song as a result. It is done in a very melodic way, however, and this ensures that the song fits in well with the overall sound of the album. Fever Dream is similar from a riff perspective, but the song is much more overtly melodic overall. This despite is a slightly murky sound, which sees the bass dominate during the verses. The arrangement allows Richmond's voice plenty of space in the mix, and his well-crafted melodies take centre stage as a result. He always manages to make whatever he sings sound interesting, and Fever Dream is another hooky track despite the slightly different sound. Like Ghosts, however, it is not so different that it does not fit in with the rest of the album. It very much sounds like it belongs, but it is subtly different so as to help inject some variety into the album. It also allows Richmond to sing in a slightly different way too, which again helps with the overall variety. The album comes to a close with Burning Alive, which is very typical of the band's core sound. It starts out slowly, however, with a low key version of the chorus that is packed full of vocal effects. This is actually quite unsettling, but it works well to draw the listener in - before hitting them with one last big riff. Like Warriors, the main riff here has a very 1980s vibe. It is a fast-paced riff, but again it has something of a hair metal feel to it - although Almgill's tight, modern-sounding drumming stops the piece sounding like a throwback. This is another track that reminds me somewhat of After Hours-era Glamour of the Kill, particularly the chorus which is anthemic and packed with layers of harmony vocals to create a huge sound. In fact, the song is probably the biggest-sounding on the album - and easily the one with the most epic arrangement thanks to its slow opening. Being the album's final song, this is fitting - and Burning Alive helps to pull everything together and allows the album to end on a high. That being said, however, the whole album is a high. There is not a weak song here, and as mentioned previously the album has been crafted to have a great flow throughout. The band seem to have already established their core sound, but there is still subtle variety throughout - and despite its short length and emphasis on hooks it is still an album that rewards repeated listens. DeadFlight are a band that have almost come out of nowhere, but I am very glad that I picked up Arrival - and I look forward to hear more from them going forward.
The self-released album was released on 21st January 2022. Below is the band's promotional video for Exhale.
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