Deathmøle? A band that doesn't exist?!

The Background

The bands I listen to are so underground they don't even exist! Of all the underground bands I've discovered and enjoyed listening to, Deathmøle may be the most odd band I have come across. Hell, it can't even be considered a band for two reasons. The first, is that it is a one man project done solely by Jeph Jacques. The second being the fact that it doesn't exist! Well, technically not. Deathmøle is a fictional band originally from the webcomic Questionable Content. While concepts like virtual bands are not unheard of, it's definitely odd to see music with little to no characterization; whether with real people, or illustrations. The origin, Questionable Content, is a 2000s born series authored and illustrated also by Jeph. From what I've picked up, it seems to just be about everyday people living their everyday lives. This includes the characters Marten, Amir, Natasha, and Hannelore, who play in the band. It just so happened the music came into fruition to reality. What started as a one song metal band gag, turned into a decade long passion project of consistency and dedication.

The Music

Through the course of over a decade, Jeph has released 11 projects. With the debut being 2006's Moletopopolis, and the latest being 2017's remastered edition of Present Peregrine. Although each project has slight musical differences in production and structure, they all share the same post-metal sound. For a genre filled to the brim with jarring beats and long unorthodox song structures, its definitely a challenge to maintain original ideas throughout a decades worth of music. While some songs show some fatigue in sound, Jeph still proves himself to be a very competent musician with many creative ideas and dynamic riffs.

Many of the songs use contrasting major-scale guitar-driven introductions to combat the droning, low frequency main riff. There is also constant use of blasting drums paired with spacious production to emphasize the dark, hollow sound. He is able to use rather clean tones while still keeping the guitar sounding heavy and murky. There is plenty of use of breakdown-type riffs and beats in the middle or even the beginning passages of songs. Along with the breakdowns, other metalcore influences like chugging and a supporting melodic guitar riff give it a unique touch. Being post-metal, many of the songs reach over 6 minutes in length. This gives way to many different beats and ideas presented in each song. While maybe tiring during a continuous listening session, listening to a full album will never seem repetetive. I should also mention that almost each project is entirely instrumental. I say almost because when listening to the first project, Moletopopolis, I was surprised to hear his first and possibly only attempt at vocals on the song Unicorn Remains. They leaned towards a more black metal style of shrieking; which in all honestly fit the song very well. Good job, Mr. Deathmøle.

It is also definitely odd trying to listen to these albums online. While he has many of the projects available for digital purchase on Bandcamp, it doesn't contain his entire catalogue. Many albums are missed out, which lead you having to scout them out on Youtube. And as for the bigger streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, all there is to be found is a single 'best of' compilation with a handful of random songs. Whether the artist account is official or not can't be said.

Permanence

I discovered Deathmøle by stumbling upon their cd of Permanence at a Half Priced Books. Safe to say the $6 risk was very much worth it. I remember searching for the background of the band at the store only to later discover they weren't an actual band. The dark album cover and cd art stuck out to me. Unless held under direct light, all text on the cd is almost illegible. It was only right for me to assume it was a metal album. The cover shows a mysterious figure with an Einstein-style moustache sitting in a guru position. There is also what appears to be an alligator corpse or skeleton next to him, laying in the dark, homey room. There isn't much correlation in any of the art or titles (keeping in mind that there are no spoken words in the album.) The track list, consisting of: College, No Thanks, Nothing is Permanent, Snow in the Sun, Distance Bursting Into Clouds, Everything is Permanent, and Acceptance, are held in a sigil-like star enclosure.

Something that is also very peculiar is the credits. While on the back of the booklet, Jeph Jacques and the producers are credited. But inside of the foldable there is a list of hundreds of names in the booklet. Maybe he knows a lot of people? Possibly. But after quick investigation I landed upon an old Kickstarter page that raised monetary support for the album. The $9,500 goal was well surpassed with $141,115 total being donated. Looks like 4,625 fans were that ecstatic for the album. The description for the donation page did give out a lot of information about the project and other aspects about Deathmøle. Jeph explains that this would be his first official studio recorded album. He also claims to be very proud of his musical passion and Deathmøle; revealing he studied and got a degree in college for music. The album art and merchandise is credited to artist John Keogh. And speaking of merchandise, there is a hell lot of it! Based on donation amount, there were many tiers created that contained bundles of items. From the Malice Shrew all the way to Moose Armageddon, you could get yourself a t-shirt, digital download, signed lp, signed screenprint, and even lunch with Jeph Jacques himself! Every tier contains the opportunity to get your name in the liner notes of the cd, which explains the hundreds of names listed. While I couldn't find any photos of the t-shirts or screenprints online, it is safe to assume the new logo done by John posted at the top is what some of the merch consisted of. And by taking a look at Deathmøle's Discogs page, it is shown that this was their only physical release for a project. The difference is definitely noticeable between his only studio album and all other home recordings. Both the production and instrumentals show a substantial upgrade. Permanence proves to be Jeph Jacques most cohesive, dynamic, and best composed musical project under the Deathmøle moniker.

Permanence album cover done by John Keogh

Official logo and concept art also by John Keogh

Jeph Jacques at a fan meetup, 2012

The end of Deathmøle?

Ever since the release of Present Peregrine in 2015 and the remastered edition in 2017, Jeph has been radio silent on all updates and projects related to Deathmøle. There hasn't been any hints nor speculation leading to the idea of another release under the moniker. Instead, he started a new project, Stelliferous. Comprising of three albums from 2016 to 2019, and even a 15 minute song demo released in the oh-so recent September of 2024. Stelliferous stars a more djent-style progressive metal. Every performance is just as tense with tight instrumentals. It is unknown as to why Jeph took a complete halt in the Deathmøle project. It would be understandable and safe to assume that he just wanted to continue releasing music without the 'fictional band' concept clinging on the back of every release. While definitely disappointing that we may never see a new release from Deathmøle again, it is at least nice to see Jeph Jacques continue his passion in music and offer the world more great metal music.

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