Coroner - Dissonance Theory (2025)

I was as shocked as any when it was revealed that Coroner was doing a tour in the US and releasing a new album. Yes, I know they'd gotten back together some 15 years prior for some gigs, and kept a low profile since that point, with nothing much on the horizon, but I didn't think much would ever manifest from that reunion other than a capitalization on the nostalgia that their brilliant original run of albums evokes. You see, this was one of my favorite underground acts in the late 80s/early 90s, as I'm sure it was for many, music so bloody good that you felt smarter than everyone else for listening. You weren't, of course, but it was at least great to feel that way as puberty was budding and you were continuing to shape your musical tastes and interactions with all the other metalheads around you. And back then, there were many.

Punishment for Decadence and No More Color are two of the most perfect albums I own, for their dark and dingy lyrical content, stark and uniform cover imagery, and incredible power trio musicianship, in particular the baroque guitar wizardry of Tommy T. Baron, which stunned me with its scale-work and innovation. In fact, almost 40 years later, I can't think of many albums that can match them in that way. Sure, there are scores if not hundreds of other amazing guitarists who created their own niches, some I appreciate as much as Coroner, but his style was distinct. And with Ron barking and playing along formidably, and some great drumming from Marky, they were just so unstoppable. Granted, Mental Vortex took things to a more muffly, minimalist, accessible direction, still with some amazing guitar riffs spiking out here or there, and Grin was more experimental as Coroner aspired to adjust itself to the changing times around them, and also to progress rather than reproduced the perfection already achieved. Those were increasingly disappointing, but never bad, and still have standout moments I revisit.

I digress. So there was NO WAY Dissonance Theory was going to be on the level of Punishment or No More Color, and it's not, but I was nonetheless impressed with the lead single, and then even more so after I got a few spins through the album proper. This for me feels like an evolutionary stage that might have taken place between Mental Vortex and Grin, with the more groovy thrash and progressive, atmospheric ideas that were starting to dominate their compositions at that time. There are few of the brilliant guitar hysterics I would have given a limb to hear once more, but as a coherent, conceptual whole this album is smooth as butter, yet as brooding and dark thematically as any of their prior material apart from maybe R.I.P. which sounds like its being showered upon you from an antiquated European graveyard. There's an industrial, post-modern vibe to the material here, I'd aesthetically compare it to Kreator's Renewal, an album most people hated (that I love), but this is less depressive and a lot more atmospheric, and obviously has a much more fulfilling production.

Structurally, we've got a lot of simplistic riffing grooves, slathered in atmospheric guitars, and so well rhythmically measured that they immediately leave an emotional impact. The beats are throbbing and hammering along, giving it that industrial metal punch, soon joined by the chugging guitars in a tune like "Sacrificial Lamb" or "Cirsium Bound", which definitely feel as if they're modernized tracks from the cutting room floor of Mental Vortex. As the title would imply, there's plenty of dissonance here, like the intro to "Transparent Eye", or a lot of the chords they play to cap off the chugging guitar patterns, but there's also a warmth to a lot of the choruses and grooves, so Coroner is exploring a musical spectrum far wider than the cover art might hint at. I know I've read a lot of people citing that is nothing like Grin, but that isn't true whatsoever, a lot of those sorts of grooves are present here seem like they're muscled up versions of what have appeared there, only the overall weight of the album, the intrinsic ambience and melody helps flesh them out to a more memorable level.

But Coroner does still thrash where it needs to, as on "Renewal" or "Consequence". Tommy T. still has all the technical chops, you can hear them in spurts, but he chooses to relinquish them for the songs themselves, only writing what services their mood. The bass tone is swarthy and powerful, the new drummer Diego Rapacchietti fits right in with the sort of rigorous level of ability, and Ron sounds like he has been left in a cryochamber since the mid-90s, his vocals are still dark and simple barking, but have just the right level of reverb and effects on them to champion the emotional resonance that this album immerses you in. I daresay this is the most 'uplifting' Coroner album, which might not be for everyone, but while it might not hit the mechanical brilliance of the 1987-89 era, it's probably the best they've done outside of that. I've come away from this one super-satisfied, and eager to hear whatever they might create next.

Verdict: Epic Win [9.25/10]

https://coronerofficial.com/

Enforced - A Leap Into the Dark EP (2024)

A Leap into the Dark is a brief holdover for whatever Enforced is headed towards next, but with six tracks, it's at least a little more substantial than some 7" or EP recordings are. The highlights here are the newer tracks, which have a nice punch to them. Not far removed from how the band sounded on War Remains, they've got a slightly cranked up depth of the bass presence, some good leads and riffs that are at least the quality of that full-length. "Deafening Heartbeats" is the most intense of the three, with some death/thrash in the riffing, and some cool riff progressions which work well with the splatters of wild solos. There is also a remaster of the "Casket" single from 2021, which I hadn't heard, but sounds like it belonged on Kill Grid (same year), only the production is a little more violent and booming.

This is capped off with a pair of covers from some pretty difference sources. "Deadly Intentions" is from the Obituary debut Slowly We Rot, and though Enforced do play it pretty close to the original, I found it ironic that they make it sound more like a later 90s Obituary piece, when the Floridians were themselves leaning more into the hardcore that Enforced came from. This would have fit right in on Back from the Dead, but structurally they still nail it. The other tune is the English Dogs' "The Chase in On", which comes from their 1984 EP To the Ends of the Earth. Another fun parallel since that band transformed from punk and hardcore to a more heavy/speed metal style, but Enforced take that cut and brutalize it a little more so it sounds like Doom but with Knox singing. I'd say both of the covers are fun enough to maybe incorporate into a live set, but the more forgettable aspects of this EP, buried by the consistent quality of the three new original cuts. But if you've enjoyed the two albums prior to this one, the material is probably worth throwing the band a couple bucks so they can get coffee or fill the gas tank on a tour.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

https://enforced.bandcamp.com/

Enforced - War Remains (2023)

In many ways, War Remains just feels like a Part II of Kill Grid from 2021. The black & white cover artwork from Joe Petagno, which is cool but not as amazing as what he came up with for the previous album. The overall aesthetics continue to explore a more purely brutal thrash sound, although I think there are a couple moments here which offer a slight throwback to the awesome crossover of the debut. The lyrics aren't all warlike, as the title might imply, but you get that same impression of battlefield thrash that reminds one of Sodom, or maybe war/death metal bands like Frozen Soul and Bolt Thrower, despite the difference in genre. One difference here, that nudges this ahead of Kill Grid, is that the production feels a more more powerful, dynamic and vibrant, losing some of the dryness and bleakness I felt there.

Same crew, they just really get a mix here that fleshes out the guitars and gives Knox Colby's vocals a lot more of a gut punch. The drums sound heavier, the riffs all have much more impact even though they're not structured with any more nuance or technicality than those from a few years before. War Remains sounds like a blend of Exodus mid-paced material, sans their guitar tone, Sodom's speed and those viral evil melodic Slayer breakdowns that turned Reign in Blood into a household name. When they roil out some faster tremolo picked riffs you get a little more death/thrash ("Avarice", or the grown in the title track), and the leads are well written and more memorable here than on the sophomore. Everything is performed with pinpoint accuracy, but it by no means sounds technical or over-polished, just written and delivered for maximum neckbreaking impact, and if you're just newly getting into thrash or seeking out an example of contemporary production and effectiveness, this is one to track down.

But while I think it's a very good album, a little better than Kill Grid, Enforced still doesn't have the same distinct qualities that so many my favorite 80s thrash acts did. Whether you were just into the 'Big Four' or 'Big Three' of that era, or even exploring the second and third tiers of the genre, there were scores of bands that really stood out vocally and musically. Like a lot of their peers, this just comes off a gestalt of repurposed ideas performed and recorded at a highly professional level. The execution is unquestionable, but the personality isn't quite as present as their more hybrid debut album, and although you'll catch me nodding if not outright banging my head throughout the runtime experience of this, it's not one where I can pick out a lot of songs of riffs after its over. Now that they've established this sound so well, it wouldn't hurt to hear some progression or ideas out of left field.

Verdict: Win [8/10] (Olive branches build the arrows)

https://enforced.bandcamp.com/

Enforced - Kill Grid (2021)

With Kill Grid and their signing to Century Media records, Enforced moved on to a sound that was the more archetypal thrash that most would recognize them by. That's not to say they abandoned all of what defined their debut, but wrote a record that was a little less oriented towards the crossover/hardcover aesthetics and meant for sheer head banging mayhem. It's certainly a more aggressive and intense effort than At the Walls, with a mix of of the West Coast sound and, say, Sodom, but there is also a little bit of a death/thrash bite to some of the material, for instance the blazing opener "The Doctrine" reminds me a lot of the Possessed comeback album Revelations of Oblivion, and that's not the only instance, so I think fans of that would be thrilled to check this out.

I also feel like the band is a parallel to Texans Power Trip, whose CDs I picked up but never quite got into as others seemed to. However, they did have a cool, caustic sound to them which is mirrored by the crunch of the guitars and the visceral vocals. And let me tell you, Kill Grid is saturated palm mute heaven, one of the most purely 'thrash' tones you've heard in years, spliced up with loads of wailing mini-leads and then some of the real deal, with a compact, tight rhythm section that works in lock step. They're playing around with a selection of riffs that won't feel novel to any thrasher whose danced around the circle for a few years or more, but they invigorate the material with an infernal energy that is going to snap you to attention even if you forget the songs five minutes later. For thrash, it's pretty brutal and unrelenting, and at some of its best moments (like "Beneath Me" or the intro to "Curtain Fire"), they'll erupt into this Slayer-like pattern which will remind you of just how much you liked where that band was headed in the mid 80s with Reign in Blood.

Some of the riffing structures also give me some Atrophy or Devastation vibes, and elsewhere like "Malignance" you'll hear some vaguely death metal progressions. It all works into the warlike format of the lyrics here, and Kill Grid is entirely consistent, like a level theater of war that never quite reaches a lull or climax, but shells are firing back and forth the entire 41 minutes. It's not boring, ever, and I do think it's a competent and studied example of old school thrash being trampolined into the modern era, but I have to admit that I miss the more vibrant and dynamic debut, with its more effective gang shouts and breakdowns and slightly less monotonous guitar tone. I also felt that one was produced better than this, which is functional but a little dry other than the leads. That said, Kill Grid is not going to let you down if you're into Power Trip, High Command or other modern thrash exemplars with a long road ahead of them if they can continue to refine and entertain.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10] (Riot rhythms of a world take hold)

https://enforced.bandcamp.com/

Enforced - At the Walls (2019)

At the Walls was one of those first records I latched onto in the modern wave of thrash and death metal albums incorporating hardcore aesthetics to their songwriting. No, it was nothing new, bands had been crossing the streams for decades before this, notably the crossover scene which Enforced is often tagged alongside, and for good reason, but when I listen through this I feel more of a street tough, 80s NYHC vibe rather than the more punk/hardcore stuff that was threaded into the sounds of D.R.I., Cryptic Slaughter, and their like. Combine that with crispy, crunchy, EXPLOSIVE thrash metal and you've got one hell of a debut, and At the Walls remains my favorite record from the Virginians, since they'd take on a more caustic and warlike feel on the later efforts that felt more like Power Trip.

The production here is absolutely perfect, with its thick bass lines, peppy drums and that aforementioned crispness to the rhythm guitars which delivers the maximum impact whether they are galloping along or headed into a thrashing breakdown. The leads are wild, loose, short and perfect at adding another reckless level of atmosphere, while Knox Colby's vocals on this album are absolutely fucking rad, like Lou Koller if he'd been the front man for Nuclear Assault instead of Sick of It All. There's plenty of metal here, though, don't you worry, from the Slayer-like harmonies of "Retaliation" that lead into the breakdown, to the bevy of faster, crunchier thrash riffs that would make even Municipal Waste weep. All of it combines into an album so vibrant, full of energy and propulsion. I haven't been a 'mosher' since my teenaged years, I just got tired of having my big feet stepped on, never felt I had much leverage, but I tell you there's music that passes my desk which has me privately performing that very dance.

26 minutes is all it takes, concise and to the point and never faltering on any track as the band just blazes the fuck out its hybrid sound. You could listen to the whole thing on the way to work, or for a quick trip to the gym. I wouldn't even say there's a misplaced note here; the leads might not feel super memorable individually, and don't have a ton of confidence yet, but again they are present for effect, for that feel of testosterone about to fall off the hinges. The gang shouts rule, the vocals might be more hardcore-focused but they match the metallic guitars quite well, and it's just infectious, transporting me back to the 80s when I would be just as thrilled to listen to Killing Time and Gorilla Biscuits as I was Anthrax or Overkill. Interestingly, a lot of Enforced fans have an inverse opinion to mine, where they prefer the later records, but I think this smokes them (at least so far), much more youthful and vital.

Verdict: Win [8.75/10] (Sell out your oppressor)

https://enforced.bandcamp.com/

Testament - Para Bellum (2025)

People surrounding me (both in meatspace and cyberspace) absolutely lost their shit over this album, and I can't count how many times I was asked if I had 'heard the new Testament' record. And I HAD heard a track or two, and was a little confused over the hype, not that I disliked the material, but from the way people were speaking about it I thought this was the second coming of The Legacy or The New Order. Granted, I am an odd duck with regards to this band's catalogue. The Ritual is my favorite, with its washed out, heavy metal leanings, not at all typical of their output, and appreciated by few; but I do also really love that first run of three albums, as well as others (Formation of Damnation) which hearken back to that very sound. So I allowed myself to get excited...

And I probably shouldn't have. This is a Testament album, through and through, with a few stylistic embellishments that are added to try and round it out, namely the more black metal and death metal elements. It's not their first rodeo with the latter, records like Low and Demonic walked that line, and often quite well, but the black metal here in "For the Love of Pain", obviously included as some sort of paean to Eric Peterson's run in Dragonlord, feels fresh. It's well performed, with incredibly drumming from Chris Dovas as well as Chuck Billy adapting his unmistakable voice with ease. But I don't think it actually adds anything I was really expecting to hear, even with Steve DiGiorgio laying in some awesome swerving bass lines to give it a more unique feel. Para Bellum is far, far better when it's sticking to the thrash that put them on the map, that's where I can really appreciate Chuck's more melodic chorus parts, and there are a bunch of tracks I enjoyed like "Witch Hunt", "Shadow People", and the awesome titular closer which is probably my favorite of the bunch with the technical riffing from Eric and Alex.

The ballad, "Meant to Be", clearly a callback to some of my fave material from The Ritual, doesn't quite land with me, but overall I think Para Bellum is a better listen than Titans of Creation. That album was rock solid, doing what Testament do, but it didn't impact me beyond the surface level. I think all the musicians in Testament are flexing a lot more throughout this record, and that's where the most curious details lie, because it rewards you for a number of listens with something you might not have noticed. I also think there's an EP worth of top shelf songwriting present, but even then none of the chorus parts or riffs necessarily stand out against their classics. Production and performances are exceptional, and so this is worth picking up for that alone, but it never amounted to AOTY material for me, despites its numerous strengths and the utter perseverance of this band to sound as energetic as it still does. That aspect of Para Bellum is humbling, for sure, and maybe the rest of this will grow on me more.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

https://www.testamentlegions.com/site/

Kreator - Krushers of the World (2026)

I've been with Kreator for nearly 40 years at this point; no, not as a member, but as a fan of this institution that has swept the thrash metal genre for pretty much all its existence. The band has rarely stumbled, much less fallen, and even then they were at least trying to experiment within the dimensions of their own sound and not prime themselves as radio sellouts. But since their 1999 nadir Endorama, which really isn't that bad, there's been nothing but upside, consistent and professional quality which you can count on every time a new record is sitting on the shelves. There was a point where they modernized their production to keep with the times, and some melodic death metal influences crept into the sound tastefully (and continue to do so), but you also had some albums where they were returning to the structure of their later 80s stuff.

If you're still guarding the gates of old and never made it passed Pleasure to Kill or Terrible Certainly, two of their best albums to be fair, then Krushers of the World is probably not going to be for you. It's a modern marvel of production, busy yet accessible, but a pretty far cry from the savage Teutonic thrash of Endless Pain or Pleasure to Kill. That's okay, we still have those albums and can listen to them as long as we breath (hopefully beyond). This is more of an omnibus of the ideas they've implemented in the 21st century, from Violent Revolution to Hate über alles, and yeah, while few of the songs are going to be as stick as they once were back in the 80s when this was all so much more novel...this is still a pretty damn good album. In particular they manage to get these anthemic tunes like "Tränenpalast", "Krushers of the World" or "Satanic Anarchy" where you've got the strong melodies in the chorus that can contrast against Mille's barking. And yes, the guy still sounds much the same, but he's got that timeless, raving thrash vocal that works as well alongside the modern studio glitz as it did back in the flesh-peeling debut. Recognizable in an instant, charismatic and plays well with melody and harshness in equal measures.

The guitar playing is top shelf, with atmospheric chords running against semi-complex, dextrous riffing patterns, keeping the ears' attention throughout, and great leads whipping out on top of the refined German engineering. Mille and Sami are quite a duo by now, and they never let you down here. Ventor's drumming is spotless and Leclercq, the newest member (but quite a veteran himself from DragonForce, Loudblast and a metric ton of other bands) solidifies himself as the anchor to the sound. You even get a guest vocal growl from Britta of Cripper and Hiraes, which was a little unexpected. Not a weak song here, and even though it's not reshaping my life as the band did with Pleasure to Kill, Terrible Certainty, Coma of Souls, nor does it even have some of the throwback infectiousness of Hordes of Chaos and Enemy of God, I still love this arena-oriented modern Kreator sound, it's almost infused with a bit of Angela-era Arch Enemy. Young me, 40 years ago, would be totally blown away to think this band would even still exist! But to be doing it in style, that's just a testament to a band that loves what it is.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10]

https://www.kreator-terrorzone.de/

Protector - Excessive Outburst of Depravity (2022)

By title, Excessive Outburst of Depravity might give you an impression that this is somehow going to be a leveling up of filth and aggression in Protector's reunion phase, but in fact it's a very good, controlled record that offers a little bit of a course correction from the ailing (but still decent) Summon the Hordes. The style hasn't moved an inch, but I thought the production here felt smoother and better captured all the vocals and instruments more than its predecessor, at the cost of not feeling quite so retrospective. Granted, the material here is still blazing thrash of an 80s Sodom variety, like a mix of Agent Orange and Better Off Dead, two of my faves from that band, but the balance and QOL improvements place it more within the 21st century spectrum. You won't miss out the nostalgic vibes this time around, but it takes the thrust and professionalism of Cursed and Coronated to another level, and it's my favorite of this 'MK II' era.

Bunch of tunes here feel like the boys are ammoed up, slinging on their ballistic helmets and headed for the battlefield, like "Open Skies and Endless Seas" with its well-paced intro, "Thirty Years of Perdition" with the same sort of setup but amazing verse riffs, or "Perpetual Blood Oath" which feels like a Bolt Thrower intro colliding into a vintage Destruction section. The rhythm section is incredibly tight, the leads are uniformly good without overindulging, and Martin Missy's vocals feel more brutal and full and charismatic than they were on the 2019 effort. You're still not getting anything highly unique here, this is all directly from the lexicon of German thrash with some seasonings of US flavor, but it's executed with skill, variation, and most importantly, songs that are memorable enough that you'll probably want to play them a few times in succession, which is really the hallmark of quality for most records. I'm not talking super sticky, infectious riffs, but more like a 'comfort food' for those who have been listening to this style for the last 3+ decades.

Even though this album came in the same three-year patterns and those leading up to it, it feels like all the interim time since Summon the Hordes had been better spent composing stronger material, and it never really lapses once throughout its 47+ minutes of existence. There's no goofy tail-end track for filler, "Morse Mania" here is a rager and commands the same respect as opener "Last Stand Hill". The production is from Robert Pehrsson (of Death Breath no less), the mix from Patrick Engel of a dozen German bands, and you can tell they both put a lot of love into making this sound like the de facto Protector album of the new century. This one ranks up there with A Shedding of Skin, The Heritage for me, and it's actually my favorite with Martin Missy's vocals, a blasphemous opinion perhaps, but here we are. Timeless and totally reliable Teutonic thrash from one of the first bands anyone should check out after they've opened the 'starter pack' and a few other brilliant outliers from the 80s era.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10] (All swords on the sacred stone)

https://www.facebook.com/Protector.666not777

Protector - Summon the Hordes (2019)

Summon the Hordes arrives right on queue, at another 3-year interval which seems to be the efficient standard Protector is maintaining for this newer phase of their career. Which I like: they're taking their time between each release, they're not burning themselves out or spamming my CD rack. On the other hand, I wish I could report some evolution in style or quality, but this record is much like those before it. the cover is a bit more cliche and cheesy with the crossed guitars and skull, and the production here seems a little more primitive, almost like they were trying to emulate Golem's mix a little more directly rather than having a more modern, ironclad take on that formative sound. I felt like Missy's vocals here were also a little less vibrant or inspired, he's spitting out some monotonous snarls and growls on numerous tunes and it's just not helping to elevate a bevy of pretty average riffs that you'll always feel you've heard before, whether in this and's own backlog or the style in general.

So this all adds up to what is my least favorite Protector full-length of the revival period, but it's telling that even the worst album from this band is still actually pretty solid. There continues to be a bit of Destruction in a lot of the riffing, in fact if you took out the difference between Missy and Schmier, there's a feel like this album is Sentence of Death Evolved, it just has those dexterous riffing patterns and a much more demo/basement level authenticity to the mix. The guitars are raw, the vocals have no bells and whistles either. Having said that, there's a decent variety to the songs, from the measured cruising thrash of "The Celtic Hammer" to the frenzied hustle of "Steel Caravan" or the title track. Once more, the death metal influence is explored strictly through Martin's vocals, the music itself never really delves into that territory, remaining upbeat and peppy and bristling with 80s mosh pit energy. Not for the first time, there's also one of those shorter, goofier tracks to close out the album, "Glove of Love", which was also the very 80s thing to do, kind of like a thrash tribute to punk or grindcore, the 'super quick' song that you'd laugh about with your mates.

Had this record come out even in 1985-1986, I still doubt it'd have the legs to stand on other than it's legacy and chronological placement, and might end up in a similar category to Necronomicon from Germany. As it was, it felt more like a proper 'throwback' in production and not just songwriting, to the band's yesteryears. They likely wanted to go more 'retro' which is honestly all the rage with a lot of the newer black/thrash/speed bands who are themselves influenced by the German scene along with a Slayer or Possessed. I think Summon the Hordes has that sort of appeal, only a bit more of the torn denim and hi-top sneakers feel than the spikes and leather. It's solid stuff, with a few tunes like the opener "Stillwell Avenue" or "Realm of Crime" that I occasionally spin, but for me it's the Protector full-length I'm least likely to revisit.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10] (See the posters, see the pentagram)

https://www.facebook.com/Protector.666not777

Protector - Cursed and Coronated (2016)

Cursed and Coronated is a difficult record to write about because it is so ridiculously close to its predecessor in production, songwriting and style that it's practically a clone of that. The lineup is the same, the level of aggression and dynamic range the same, they've even gotten another Krisian Wåhlin cover artwork (which is admittedly cool to see). So this is going to come down to the individual songs, blow by blow, and I think that if there's any one difference, it's that there is a little more confidence here. The 'comeback' album is out of the way, the band has proven itself, and can now settle down and just to try to pen some material which will make more of an impact, and I think to that extent, Protector's sixth LP does exactly that, slightly edging past its predecessor in quality.

It's reliable, meaty thrash, with riffing familiarities to their more famous countrymen. Still a whole lot of Sodom parallels, but I thought there were tunes here that reminded me a little more of Destruction, like "Six Hours on the Cross" or "Crosses in Carelia", which have those exciting Mike Sifringer-like riffing patterns saturated throughout. Actually you can play a fun game here where you're closing your eyes and imagining Angelripper singing on one of Destruction's Thrash Anthem rerecording compilations and you'd be straight in that ballpark with this album. That's not to speak down to this band, because they are energetic and authentic as hell, having been around during that formative 80s period when the genre was taking off, but just so you can get a clear idea of who is going to enjoy the hell out of this. There are some nice, eerie guitar melodies throughout the tunes, like the intro to the title track, which feel like the band is writing in its own little horror them jingles, and they balance well against the harder rhythms. Their also old hands at balancing the tempos and riff choices to make a fully fleshed out experience.

Rhythm section is tight as freshly-hammered nails, the guitarist is obviously reared on this genre because he's just battering out an endless stream of patterns you'll appreciate, at any speed, with even a few of the good old American mid-paced mosh rhythms circa Exodus or S.O.D. poking through in a piece like "Terra Mater". The 'death metal' aspects of the record are strictly relegated to Martin Missy's vocals, which are that early sort of abusive thrash/death hybrid, snappy enough for the former but guttural and brutal enough for the latter, with some backing vocals created in a more snarled timber which also emphasize that. Cursed and Coronated is another fun record, I spun it a bunch when it was released. Though it doesn't quite stand out in its field overall, and I wouldn't reach for it over Golem, The Heritage, A Shedding of Skin, it's potent and professional and the sort of disc I'll listen straight through without skipping anything.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10] (Facing the masters)

https://www.facebook.com/Protector.666not777

Protector - Reanimated Homunculus (2013)

Like many other thrash bands of the 80s and early 90s, Protector would enter its torpor around the time the genre died down on the world map, its superstars surviving through their established reach, and/or accessible sound shifts, the rest retreating into death metal, black metal, grunge, groove metal or electronics. This was not a total hibernation period for the Germans, a bunch of obscure compilations were released, a couple tracks demoed by Marco Pape and a shifting roster, but effectively the band dissolved for 20 years, until original vocalist Martin Missy would 'reanimate' it with a trio of Swedes by his side who had played/were playing in some lesser known bands like Grief of Emerald, Axis Powers and Suicidal Winds. For those who had missed Missy's presence on the 90s material, this was surely exciting, and though the band seemed hijacked by the unshakable metallic presence of Sweden, this would initiate the most stable portion of the band's career!

Reanimated Homunculus blazes forward with a complete return to that Sodom-like sound the band had manifest on records like Golem or Urm the Mad, but it definitely doesn't ignore some of the evolutions during the Olly Wiebel era. There is no pettiness, Missy and his new crew are attempting to catapult the entire Protector legacy forward and beyond (I know he's even brought Wiebel on stage to sing a few of the tunes from records like A Shedding of Skin). But what you are immediately confronted with is a continuation of that aggressive late 80s Teutonic thrash meat-grinder, Martin's vocals straddling the lines between thrash and death metal, much like Tom Angelripper did, but with some backups that are pure gutturals barking off in counterpoint to the verses in a place like "Deranged Nymphomania". The riffs are chunky, propulsive, and true to form, not the catchiest things you'll ever hear, but exciting and dynamic enough for fans of the genre that you'll be banging your head while throwing your milk cartons against the nearest wall. These guitars spit caustic intensity throughout "Holiday in Hell", "Birth of a Nation" and "Road Rage" at a level the band had rarely arrived at in the past, often like a mix of old Sodom and Holy Moses; and the rhythm section matches them with ease.

It's a good thrash album for purists, with the only drawback that it sometimes feels a little generic in structure and riffing. I've mentioned before that the band never quite rises to the level compositionally as Kreator or Destruction during their finer hours, the material just isn't possess of that timelessness, but they feel like a damn solid 'second-stringer' that will be replacing any of the starters out on the field should they fuck up or become injured. Beyond that, Reanimated Homunculus plants its heels out on the defensive line, ready for any tackles, and proves beyond any doubt that Protector is back, ready to fucking thrash with abandon, and continue their mission regardless of who is in the active roster. Hell, the title track is even a lyrical continuation of the "Golem" concept.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

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Protector - The Heritage (1993)

If A Shedding of Skin was my favorite of the earlier Protector catalog, The Heritage was directly on its heels, and in fact some days I might actually reverse the decision. This is clearly the best produced of that run, and the most intense and exciting in terms of how so many of its tight, fast, thrashing tunes are executed. By 1993, it might have felt dated against the emergence of more brutal and technical strains of death metal, with grunge and black and nu metal and all that starting to explode, but you can't accuse the Germans of not trying to keep pace, because The Heritage feels like faster Sepultura, Sadist and mid 80s Dark Angel in a three-way slugfest, and even 33 years later you can press Play and it's violent, infectious, and still has the more matured songwriting which embodied its predecessor.

There's some new blood here to help Olly Wiebel will all that heavy lifting, including drummer Marco Pape who would try and keep the band alive through all its later hiatus. He and bassist Matze help add a level of professionalism here, and I don't mean that in a bad way. But what's even more impressive is how Wiebel has managed to balance off the spiked, thrashing attacks with some more moody, atmospheric and melancholic progressions. The slower bridges and leads in songs like "Lost Properties" feel so much more composed, and through the album there's a level of restraint which helps make its explosive cuts like "Scars Bleed Life Long" all the more memorable by contrast. Marco's drums were clearly the caliber that could land him any gig in a death metal act of the day, propulsive kick drums and flawless snares which add loads of pep and energy to Olly's riffs. Bass also sounds pretty fleshed out here compared to A Shedding of Skin, and the production just blows straight out my speakers, especially some of the howled vocal effects on "Protective Unconsciousness" or the escalating acoustic intro to "Palpitation".

The frenzied little instrumentals "Paralizer" and "Outro" might have been better served by expanding them into proper songs, they seem a bit incomplete, but otherwise all the tunes are ragers, and The Heritage is an album I'd easily recommend to fans of early 90s thrash and death metal and all the combinations thereof. Sadist, Defiance, Malevolent Creation, Deicide, or even the stuff some of the band's German peers were up to that that very time, any fans of that would do well to have this record sitting in their collections. As I said, it's right on par with its predecessor with me, but a lot of that is just nostalgia, the personal memories I attach with A Shedding of Skin. In so many ways, The Heritage is better sounding, more refined, and its dynamic range more impactful. The lyrics have gotten a little more socially and environmentally conscious, which isn't what I always demand in thrash since they get a little too obvious and tacky, but it fits the sound here at least. This 1991-1993 era is my favorite of the band, as much as I enjoyed the first two releases, they certainly felt like they upped the ante right before their (debatable) 20-year slumber, and left (but didn't) us on a high note at that time.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10] (You dare not to speak)

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Protector - A Shedding of Skin (1991)

While it still imports a lot of the ballistic thrash of previous Protector recordings, A Shedding of Skin felt like a matured album risen up to meet the growingly extreme scene surrounding it. While this is still mostly thrash metal (almost all their catalogue is), this could certainly be heard as a more committed blend of that and its death metal offspring. A lot of vocal and guitar queues reminiscent of what Deicide, Cannibal Corpse and Sepultura were spitting out around the same time, and I also hear some parallels to Texans Devastation. The material is easily intense enough to have held the attention of extreme metal fans during that transition from 80s to 90s, and I can only attribute its lack of success to a lack of proper international distribution and the fact that thrash was just about to fall off a cliff outside of its primary practitioners.

Olly Wiebel, who had joined the band only recently for the Leviathan's Desire EP, had pretty much been given the reins here, performing everything other than the drums of Michael Hasse, for whom this would be the last Protector recording (he left afterwards and sadly passed away in 1994). To Wiebel's credit, he did not attempt to completely transform the band into his own image, but took the direction they were already headed with the newer EP material and made it angrier. Stylistically, this is nothing out of the ordinary for 1991, but it definitely feels evolved from its predecessors. The riffs hammering, sinister and have the most slicing distortion yet, with an array of faster, blasting riffs that alternate with your Exodus-style palm muted moshing fare. Wiebel's vocals are ghastly, with a protracted guttural that he can flesh out with more snarled lines or 'hwah' throat-clearings. They are a little blunt at times, and don't offer a lot of interesting syllabic patterns, but he can be forgiven for the amount of effort he's putting into everything else. I think the bass guitar also falls behind a little here, more than any prior offering, but the crunch of those riffs and the volatile, ripping leads compensate.

Lots of good tracks here, from "A Shedding of Skin" which sounds like a German response to something off The Bleeding, or "Doomed to Failure" which has a cool West Coast thrashing foundation reminiscent of Vio-Lence but with guttural vocals. "Whom Gods Destroy" has that cool lead snaking out against the caustic thrashing, and "Tantalus" is a pit crusher which manages to convey the doomed after-existence of its titular character. While consistent, A Shedding of Skin does follow in the band's legacy of providing enough variety that you won't grow bored, so the pacing is evenly distributed throughout, and the acoustic "Intro" and interlude "Necropolis" provide some breathing room, in particular the latter which its cool, synth-driven mystique and guitar effects that sound like scarabs or spiders creeping through a tomb. There is definitely a 'dryness' to the mix which resonates with other stuff by Harris Johns (who produced this with a few engineers), perhaps a similarity could be drawn to the masterwork Mallevs Maleficarvm by Pestilence, thought the composition and clinical feel here is nowhere near that level.

1991 was a strange year where a number of bands won huge success off albums I felt were somewhat lacking, whether for production or musical direction, and something like A Shedding of Skin appealed to me much more than Blessed Are the Sick or Arise. Although I can appreciate and even concur why some fans' hearts would remain back with the earlier Martin Missy era, Misanthropy and Golem having a sense of timelessness about them, this one is actually my favorite full-length of that earlier Protector run. It doesn't build up anything new upon the components which influenced it, but it still feels vile and aggressive even today, and some of the songs just resonate with me the most. Add that it's the unlikely product of just the drummer and the new guy who had to deliver on several instruments, and I think it punched well above its potential.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10] (Strip away the garments of sin)

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Protector - Leviathan's Desire EP (1990)

Leviathan's Desire has another of those evocative covers where you've got this dad-bod troll or goblin hanging out at at some sort of bathhouse in an evil castle, incense pouring out of a jeweled goblet nearby, and then for whatever reason some ugly cat or wolf or something leaping up behind the title. It's absolutely ridiculous and yet intriguing because it reminds us that Protector must be evil nerds, kind of like Tankard with the drunken alien mascot on so many of their efforts. This is a shorter clocking EP than Misanthropy from 1987, includes one extended version of a tune from that ("Kain & Abel"), and then a trio of newer tracks. I believe that there's also another version where you are getting more of Misanthropy included as a bonus, and that would ramp up the value a little, but here it's just the basic intro + four.

Right away, the new material sounds more scathing and sinister than on Urm the Mad, like a volatile and ballistic parallel to Sodom in the later half of the 80s, only maintaining the growls from that last full-length. Only this time, it's a new vocalist, Olly Wiebel, taking them into an even more carnal direction than Martin Missy had; he's also got more of that snarl and guttural exchange, not to the extent of Glen Benton or Carcass, but it helps keep this material sounding deadly. The riffs are far from exceptional, but they buzz and bludgeon along with more confidence than they had on the last outing, and the drums and bass anchor down and control all the intensity. You really feel like you're on a knife's edge with a "Mortal Passion" or "Subordinate", they are rooted it some of that vicious thrash circa Darkness Descends or Bonded by Blood, only more Sodom-like in note choices. The lead guitars are really messy and zippy throughout, but help capture that reckless atmosphere which is really the goal. And for those who want to headbang, they trot out some of those mid-paced sequences for you to strain your neck, and you really feel them against the faster sequences.

As for "Kain & Abel", this is almost two minutes longer and Olly's vocals make it feel more fresh and vile, although clearly not as Teutonic or thrashy as Martin's originals. I don't know that this was in any way necessary over including another new tune, but it does sound good and streamlined with this other material and assumedly future direction. All told, Leviathan's Desire is a treat for the 15 or so minutes it exists, content with tearing your face off and then eating it before a good scented bath. For 1990 it also felt fairly orthodox since so many other genre bands were trying to evolve towards the soon-shifting landscape. This is pretty much 1986-1987 all over again with few bells or whistles.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10] (The burnt magicians prophecy)

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Protector - Urm the Mad (1989)

Urm the Mad was the first Protector album I managed to come across out in the wild, and I recall being thrown off a little at the beginning moment of "Capitascism". A horror synth transmutes into a plodding hard rock riff, which was way less intense than I was expecting. That soon changes as they roll out some thicker, darker rhythms and a blast beat, or whatever the equivalent of a blast beat was for 1989 in what was still largely a thrash metal band. We were off to the races, but I certainly struggled at being impressed with most of this at first. This is absolutely where the death metal vocals become dominant, which sounded great over the simpler neck-jerking thrash rhythms; Martin just had this brutal sustain which created an impact with ever lyric he barked out, but the music itself isn't anywhere near what a Death or Pestilence was up to at the same time, and it's still written in a ballistic mesh of Teutonic, West Coast and the Arizona-like thrash I mentioned I heard on parts of Golem.

The dynamics remain intact, as the band will shift between a plodding, almost thrash/doom vibe in a tune like "Nothing Has Changed" with its swaying rhythm and slightly spongy distortion circa Hellhammer, to the more mid-paced rhythms which remind me more of Sacred Reich, Exorcist or Hallows Eve, and then lastly the faster barrages where the riffs can almost resemble a bit of vintage grindcore. Not a lot of riffs stand out individually, even for 1989 they didn't sound too unique, and there still exists some traces of their earliest work where they let the end of riffs ring out before transitioning into a burst or vice versa. On the other, the drumming is damn tight, with a speed and intensity to the blasts that was somewhat rare for its day, and the leads are really good, whether they're more melodic and structured or just being used as wild sound effects to create a windy hostility that blows across all the workmanlike rhythm guitars. I felt the bass on this record didn't stand out as much as Golem, it's audible and functional but doesn't poke out as much as it did there.

There's also another throwaway short track, the noisy grind explosion of "Molotow Cocktail" which is less than a minute, just some chaos that doesn't wrap up the disc in any memorable or meaningful way. So my first impressions of Protector weren't the highest accolades. The cover art was cool, the logo stood out to me from other thrash or early death metal acts, the title is awesome (again with that dark fantastical vibe), the vocals were gruesome enough to warrant the death/thrash tag, and there's a purity and atmosphere to the material which is synonymous with its era. Over the years, I've come to appreciate it for what it was, but truth be told it's the record I'm least likely to revisit of their earlier 1987-1993 run and it's just eviscerated by so many of the other beasts of '89 like Consuming Impulse, Altars of Madness, Leave Scars, Realm of Chaos, etc. If you love the production and construction of extreme metal at the tail end of the 80s, maybe a prelude to the style Sodom would explore on Tapping the Vein, then this one's worth a listen for sure.

Verdict: Win [7/10] (The cloven one will rule)

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Protector - Golem (1988)

One of the things I always enjoyed about Protector was the fantastical whimsy on some of their earlier cover arts, and in the lyrics, starting with the debut full-length Golem. While I was usually forced to admire them from the pages of some magazine or catalogue, there was this sense of camaraderie, like these guys were a thrash band but also huge D&D/fantasy/horror nerds, just as I was (and remain). I can't promise that these concepts always translate much into the music (they certainly do on the title track here), but they help spark up the imagination on first glance or listen. Golem doesn't stray too far from Misanthropy, but there are some subtle differences, one being that they're incorporating a little bit more complexity and variation in the riffing and structures.

Still a huge Sodom influence throughout this one, shadowing Agent Orange, but it struck me that this album also had a more American influence through it. "Delirium Tremens" reminds me a lot of the Arizona bands, the faster riffing circa Atrophy's Socialized Hate while the slower, meaty mosh part was very Sacred Reich. Likely more of a case of parallel musical evolution, but still notable as I think fans of those groups would go bananas over this. You get some gang shouts, a little bit of Speak English or Die era S.O.D. in some of the slower riffs, but then when they burst out into the faster stuff, it's got a lot more of that Sodom style. The guitars aren't always the catchiest, but they know how to succeed dynamically between the different tempos, atmospheric wails and leads that keep it from ever being boring. This record is where a lot more of the sustained death metal growls rear up, especially in the lumbering title track, which is one of its true highlights, loads of great weird guitar work in there, bedrock grooves in the verses and probably the best written lead they'd done yet, if brief.

The rhythm guitars definitely have a boxier tone to them, not as brash or violent sounding as the earlier EP, but still will club your brains into mush, especially on those slower moments ("Germanophobe", "Golem", etc). The distortion always gave me an ever-so-slight off-tune vibe, but whether that's just me being mental or the reality of the recording, it works regardless, and I enjoy the frenzied bursts into the choppier riffs like in "Germanophobe" where the riff resembles Possessed. The bass is more present here and they're doing some whacky sound effects to keep the tunes entertainment, which is one of the band's sure strong points, that they might be rolling along in the treads of others, but they're certainly testing the limits of those tracks. It's not the best of the Protector albums...a few riffs get samey with one another, the "Space Cake" outro, which shifts from acoustics to what feels like a mere portion of another song, and has really goofy vocals made even sillier when they go into the gang vocals before the fadeout. But there is really no questioning the craft and personality they were bringing to their scene, and easily deserve recognition alongside other acts like Holy Moses, Vendetta, Iron Angel, and that second strata of German thrash acts who were just shy of international potential.

Verdict: Win [8/10] (Muscles filled with life)

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Protector - Misanthropy EP (1987)

A little over a decade back, I wrote an exhaustive amount of reviews covering the German thrash scene that I came up with through the 80s and beyond, not only the bigger names but a lot of obscure records as well that were interesting to go back and cover. I neglectfully decided to exclude Protector at that time, as I always associated them with a little more of a death/thrash hybrid sound, but in reality the first half of that equation is pretty scant throughout their catalogue, and I should have taken a run through the first 'half' of their career. Well, now is the time, because while they're not a group that's reached the highs of their better-known countrymen, this is a damn consistent band which has also never visited any of the lows of said peers.

Their albums were impossible to find when I was young, and in fact my first encounter with any of their music wasn't until the sophomore full-length Urm the Mad, but they started out pretty damn strong with their Misanthropy EP, which ironically showed the most in common with the developing 'Big Three' in their scene. Not a clone by any means, but if you had changed the logo here and tucked this into the Sodom discography between Obsessed by Cruelty and Persecution Mania, it would have fit like a glove. This especially applies to the faster material, where the churn of the guitar riffs is so reminiscent, but also in the vocals or Martin Missy, which sound a lot like Tom Angelripper with a little of Mille's bloodthirsty timbre. That said, the more mid-paced, headbanging material bears a little more resemblance to US thrash of its day, and as with their Teutonic fellows, there's always that Slayer undercurrent, especially in tunes like "The Mercenary" with those evil little guitar trills. Tankard is another comparison, at least the debut Zombie Attack, if only for that raw but rich rhythm guitar tone.

Despite the slight lack of novelty, this is still a superb start, with a good variety to the material that balances out the blitzkriegs with the more dialed-back, atmospheric riffs as in "Holy Inquisition". Most of the tracks hook you from their inaugural riffs, like the shuffle of "Agoraphobia" or the crushing simplicity of "Kain and Abel", and Missy's voice is the perfect complement to the dangerous and primitive edge of the guitars. Leads feel like steel whipcords being sliced through the meat of the rhythm section, never really 'catchy' but always added another level of atmosphere to the din of the recording, while the bass is present and creeping. They use a lot of breakdowns for introducing new fast riffs, not in a mosh sense but the stop/starts of the songwriting, and while that might show a lack of confidence in transitional moments, it's quite charming and 80s and they sound so authentic and fresh to this day that I wouldn't want it any other way. The drums are also really good, crashing and loud with some thunderous fills to again enhance the ballistic presence (i.e. the close of "Holocaust").

All six of the tracks here are good, and Misanthropy is easily the work which I'd point anyone towards if they were looking for more of what they enjoy in mid 80s-Kreator or Sodom, just that raw, evil, basic German thrash metal, but formed into solid, balanced tunes that you'll spin a lot more than once. Expurse of Sodomy, Pleasure to Kill, Zombie Attack, Sentence of Death, and then this. Though the DNA here will persist through their entire discography, in some cases more obviously than others, they will evolve away from this even as soon as Golem the following year, but this is 22 minutes of undeniable flesh-tearing glory from one of the unsung second-tier acts of that scene.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10] (You drank of the evil source)

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Deströyer 666 - Bitter Scorn EP (2023)

Bitter Scorn is little more than a bite-sized after mint to the phenomenal Never Surrender record, Deströyer 666 riding high on another success, and I have to admit it delivers. Partly on the strength of the cover song; K.K. Warslut and friends do not mess around when they decide to include something like this, and whilst Dio's "I Speed at Night" is a much different pick than something like "Prometheus" from the Terror Abraxas EP, it's another awesome execution which fully translates the driving, simplistic heavy metal number into their more volatile, armored and aggressive style, which feels flush with the increased elements of speed and thrash metal that have dominated their last two albums, but have always been in the DNA to some degree.

The new original, the title track, is also pretty good, with a great chorus and a vocal break that reminds me of something Venom would have done in their heyday. Like a lot of their recent material, it's largely built upon a speed/heavy metal structure but then injected with some of the blackened thrash elements, and yet they just don't sound a lot like the myriad of other bands doing their style. Perhaps because they've built up such a unique foundation from which to approach it, or the way they produce the guitars, Deströyer 666 has been fairly original for some time. Now, this is a 7", it's limited, collectible, and there are those restraints, most people will have to check out the Dio cover (at least) online, but it's worth hearing, and "Bitter Scorn" itself I think is available on one of the deluxe editions of Never Surrender, where it's probably a better fit. So as an individual PRODUCT, this has limited appeal beyond collectors, but the tunes will please those into the last decade of Deströyer 666.

Verdict: Indifference [6/10]

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Deströyer 666 - Never Surrender (2022)

If the biggest criticism I can level at Never Surrender is that it partly sounds like a couple of outtakes from Wildfire with some new ideas spliced in, then you know it's a pretty awesome time. And it is. I think nearly anything would have disappointed me after that masterpiece. The Call of the Wild EP left me a little dry, sure, but if Deströyer 666 had simply called it a day and hung up the bulletbelts, I would have had no cause for complaint, because they'd capped off a pretty strong career with a pinnacle of excellence and they'd only be headed back down the other side. To the great credit of K. K. Warslut and crew, they managed the descent with one scorcher of a follow-up that strikes a lot of the same nerves while revealing a couple new ones to bite into. 

The vocals aren't quite on the level of Wildfire, but they still sound pretty great, especially with the exciting gang shouts and the continued use of that reverb effect that makes him sound so sinister on the prior outing. Some of the speed metal elements here show a fraction more of a straight punk or hardcore feel to them, but at the same time there are tunes like "Andraste" where they even let a little of that old Hellhammer/Celtic Frost influence return. That track is actually a great example of some of the 'new' here, because they're using more of the ritual chant rhythms with cleaner vocals, and it contrasts very well with the harsher inflection and those tremolo-picked guitars. Some of the songs use a similar approach to the guitars but with a more mid-paced tempo, and it actually lends a darker and more epic vibe to the writing than even on Wildfire, but the shouts and the punk-laced riffs bring it right back to that exciting street level. There are some absolute banger riffs in tunes like "Guillotine", and "Grave Raiders", the latter of which sounds like almost a German heavy metal song via Grave Digger.

But there are definitely a few like the title track and "Rather Death" that would have fit right in on the previous album. Warslut does experiment with some even more Kreator-sounding vocals on the latter, and I'm half-convinced it's really Mille singing those parts. Elsewhere, he does some more pure trad BM rasps just because why the fuck not, and the closer "Batavia's Graveyard" even reminds me of a more twisted version of Rock'n'Rolf from Running Wild, with some of that epic Bathory Viking metal influence circa Hammerheart. It's these little nuances and tributes that prevent Never Surrender from sounding like a total unswerving sequel to Wildfire, and I appreciate them, because this is pretty powerful stuff and proves there is plenty of space left for them to explore and expand their overall sound. And maybe that's a deterrent for some who might have just wanted Phoenix rising or Unchain the Wolves, but to that I say: those albums haven't gone anywhere, you can still listen to them. I just love hearing an already good band hit a great stride decades into their career and if this record's any indicator, this trend is in no danger of slowing down. Phenomenal.

Verdict: Epic Win [9.5/10]

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Deströyer 666 - Call of the Wild EP (2018)

It's a difficult thing to follow up a masterpiece, or at least what I personally perceive to be a masterpiece, and so Deströyer 666 did the exact opposite. They released a humble EP, the Call of the Wild, with a title and cover art that resonate with the bestial mascots and warlike energies they've associated with in the past. While the style throughout these four tracks isn't a long distance from Wildfire, the production does feel a little more controlled and claustrophobic, there is still a good atmosphere created through the vocals and higher string guitar work, but there's something less affecting about it all, like they had torn the roof off in 2016 but for some reason it's been repaired or replaced. That's not a deal breaker, because the tunes here are still solid, but I'd be lying if I didn't describe this as somewhat of a disappointment.

"Trialed by Fire", the closer here, is a re-recording from the Terror Abraxas EP, and I'm juggling which of the two that I find superior; this one is slightly more atmospheric, and the cleaner vocal barks are more pronounced, but I think in terms of the production I'd go with the old one. The other three tracks are all pretty solid, especially "Violence is Golden" and "Call of the Wild" itself, which sound like outtakes from Wildfire but with that denser, cramped production I mentioned above. I don't know that they would have fared better on the full-length, they're actually a little redundant with better tracks, but they are certainly the highlights for me when I'm spinning through this, and the latter has that droned chorus part where the little guitars and counter-vocals spike out and it's pretty much the high point of the 20 minutes, an idea that I hadn't quite heard from them before. The mix is fine, the vocals standout but the instruments often seem to muddle together a little...drums, bass and rhythm guitars. That does help distinguish the leads, but I just think it felt a little more rushed and less impressive than Wildfire.

And I keep repeating that title, but hey, that's what you get when you've set my expectations so high and then tempered them a bit! Call of the Wild is decent, but other than Terror Abraxas, Deströyer 666 does not have a high success rate for me with their shorter releases. They are, to me, a full-length sort of band where I want to be blown over by that full 40-ish minute experience, sure I can lean into certain tracks on a playlist, but they put a lot more effort into the albums (obviously) and so I'd rather put my own effort into listening to them.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

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