This European metal band started in 1995 after Marc Kieffer's band, Bloodshed, broke up, and he decided to create Lifeless, a solo project, wherein he writes and plays all of the music. More information on the band's history can be found at the Lifeless home page.
Describing a band's sound by referencing other bands should generally be avoided (I am personally wary of its misuse), but in some cases it can be very helpful. In the case of Lifeless, what you hear could be described, in a broad, general sense, as a cross between the technical math metal of Watchtower or Confessor, and the industrial-tinged death metal of Inner Thought, with heavy jazz influences similar to Cynic. Lifeless does not copy these bands, but if you mix their styles in your mind, you can get an idea of what Lifeless is like.
The music is highly technical with a lot of interesting, drum machine generated beats and technical riffs. Lifeless also makes good use of keyboards and a lot of jazzy bass lines, while rarely entering into a full "jazz break." Vocals are of the growling death metal variety, and sound similar to those on Inner Thought's first album Worldly Separation. Generally, death style vocals accompany death metal, but that is not necessarily the case here. The music has its heavy moments, yet never really dives into the down-tuned chaotic madness of that genre. Though it is an underground release, it is very professionally done. The production is high quality and the mixing is well balanced.
On the downside, this album actually suffers from its highly technical nature, at the expense of good musical songs that touch the emotions. This specific characteristic can also be noted in bands like Watchtower and Confessor. The songs on Forward to Suffering never really go anywhere. They don't take off. They start cool sets of riffs or melodies, and then sacrifice them to the mathematical time changes; one of the things that make these bands so highly technical. Marc Kieffer has some great ideas, and has not forgotten the musical aspect altogether, but the main musical theme here is the creation of complex song structures. Some listeners into this style will not see this as a downside at all.
The lyrics deal with, among other things, humanity's disregard for the Creator and the created, living and dealing with the pain of life, looking within ourselves to find peace and happiness, and the quest for the unknown "missing element" in everyone's life:
While this is not an album that draws me in, it is well played and will be a great addition to many people's metal collections.
By Chris King (8/14/98)
Forward to Suffering is Lifeless's second album and provides
a serving of dark music for the thinking man, in the form of mathematical,
progressive death metal. Instead of the groove-fests and de-tuned grinding
that characterize typical death metal, lighter harmonic rhythms and haunting,
almost industrial-sounding keyboards create a work of technical musicianship
and dark atmospherics. Impressively, the entire project is the child of
one man, the super-talented Marc Kieffer, who growls, plays all the instruments,
and handles all the keyboard and drum computer programming.
There are some interesting chords and rhythms which I haven't heard
before, and some of the bass and programmed drum lines are especially cool.
Conflicting time and tempo changes, often at the same time on different
instruments, are impressive but a bit tiring. The musicianship is certainly
excellent enough that no one will notice Lifeless is a one-man band.
Having that knowledge, however, makes one aware of the similarities throughout
the album. While Forward to Suffering exceeds many mainstream
death releases, Kieffer still needs the input of other band members to
provide a variety of ideas and song structures. There is a certain stiffness
and in-bred quality to this album which could be overcome with the help
of other talented musicians. The pacing is mostly the same throughout,
and it would be preferable to hear a wider variety of moods, from peaceful
near-silence to furious riffing.
Kieffer's vocals are ordinary death growls without variation, not
too low and not too raspy, but unfortunately completely incomprehensible.
That's too bad, because his thoughtful lyrics express a search for truth.
Kieffer sings in English, but his incomplete mastery of the language muddles
the meanings a bit. Still, images of rebirth and journeying/questing pervade
his songs, with acknowledgments that man will be held accountable for his
past errors and longs for a more spiritually fulfilling life. Although
some of the lyrics on his last album, Belief, were openly positive
toward a seemingly Christian notion of God, the lyrical vagueness
and awkward phrasing here could be referring to totally different philosophies.
It's hard to tell, but worth pondering.
Forward to Suffering should be a hit with metal fans who
take enjoyment in difficult, boundary-pushing music. Unfortunately, there
are quite a few other full prog-death bands out now with similar ideas
to draw this reviewer's loyalty. Still a young man, Kieffer improves drastically
with each release. His upcoming 1999 project, the ambitious double album
The Reconciliation - The Third of a Trilogy, should be on an even
higher level musically and lyrically. Visit his
website for details.
By Josh Spencer (8/18/98)
