Out NOW
Via Hells Headbangers
Words by: Daryl Daryl
This is an album for Simon. You know what I mean? We all have that friend who likes a particular genre of music above all others, and it’s not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just that their musical taste got stuck in 1992. Desolus liken themselves to Kreator and Sodom, and I have to say, despite hailing from Washington D.C. they would fit right in with those Teutonic thrash metallers. There’s even a touch of Dark Angel in the sheer relentless violence of it all.
This album joins the current crop of real bands writing real songs for real fans. You have to admire the commitment of Desolus to their craft. Following the acclaim of System Shock, this second album feels darker, bloodier and even more unhinged. It is one of the most intense, raw thrash experiences I’ve had for a long time. As the traditional horror VHS-style intro ends, Dwellers of the Twilight Void kicks off the non-stop brutality. The band Show No Mercy, and when that kicks in at track nine, I wish this gem had arrived earlier. The stomping riffs in Woman of Beauty grabbed my attention immediately. And the album calls time at track ten, not long after the 35-minute mark. You want more than that? You must be insane. Or very young.
The tones are time-warp accurate. Cutting guitars, cryptic bass, and real drums. The addition of a second guitar and a new drummer has clearly sharpened the attack, because this thing absolutely rips. For me, the best part is the vocal: a staccato rasp that is not that ever-present fry vocal of the current era, but the timeless grunt of thrash metal proper. Breathless screams, wails, cries and genuine menace pour out over frenetic riffs. Those stomping breakdowns and crazy solos, played right at the edge of ability, deliver an excitement and energy that is missing from so many of today’s albums. There’s also a darker, almost blackened atmosphere running underneath the speed and aggression, helped by a filthy, dungeon-like production that somehow keeps everything razor sharp. If you love thrash, you need this album in your life.
