DESASTER
'The
Arts Of Destruction'
(High
Roller Records) LP
Violent,
raw, and visceral black metal. From the very first track, the title
track, 'The
Arts of Destruction' is
set to non-stop aggression and blazing speed, a furious blend of
black metal and thrash, and while this combination is far from
anything new, Desaster manage to make something fresh out of it.
Despite
the stance of raw aggression the band takes on this album, there are
moments in the chaos of actual brilliance and, dare I say,
catchiness, and these are more than just brief moments, but whole
songs that stick in your head! Many of the riffs on here (notably
“Lacerate with Hands of Doom”) are surprisingly hook-laden and
mind-blowingly well-played for a black metal band that seemed, at
first, to put unfiltered extremity as their number one priority.
The band has found
a real knack for balance, between brutal force and semi-melodic
riffing, meaning that you still take the beating one would expect
from a black/thrash album, but it also leaves you with many things,
melodies, hook-filled riffs, that can be remembered later. It isn’t
the norm lately to have a black metal album with such attention to
structure and composition, and it’s very refreshing to see the
amount of diversity as well, from slower, heavy breaks in tracks,
“Phantom Funeral,” to a strong hardcore punk influence in “Queens
of Sodomy.” We even get treated to the occasional solo!
Overall,
this is a black/thrash album that isn’t afraid to expand into other
territories to make their music more interesting, an album that can
actually stick with you after you’ve finished listening to it, and,
while far from the likes of many experimental black metal acts today,
the amount of versatility on this album is refreshing, while not at
all compromising the raw aggression of the band’s sound in any way.
Job well done, and quite the enjoyable listen.
[7,5]
(Andrew
Oliver)
(Can't find any of the new songs on You Tube, but Hell - 'Metalized Blood' is always a great choice! Disagree? You're on the wrong site then.
Andrew managed to beat me at my own game with this review, one just can't compete with the youth,hah. Awesome album but I've been expecting nothing less from the Total Desasters - this gets 9 out of 10 from me! - Vladimir ED)
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| Desaster, no posers allowed! |
Update: 'Queens Of Sodomy' from the new album
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