Last Updated on 11:12 PM by Giorgos Tsekas
Genre: Thrash Metal
Country: Austria
Label: High Roller Records
Year: 2018
Deathstorm is a thrash band from Austria born from the ashes of the band Damage, since they changed their name back in 2010. ”Reaping What is Left” is their third album — they also have released 2 E.P.’s and a split– so it is easily understood that we are talking about a very active and hard-working group.
The band’s main influence is Kreator, mainly the “Terrible Certainty” to “Extreme Aggression” era. If you can’t realize it easily from their first E.P. title (called “Storming with Menace”), then within the first seconds listening to their new album will take you back to the glorious thrash past. Starting from the artwork, I found it too simple, common and overused as an idea. The production is good, since Olof Wikstrand managed to achieve his goal, an analog and warm sound.
Let’s now focus on the most serious thing, the music itself. Playing like your heroes doesn’t mean you could match their legacy. I like the vocals, I enjoyed some riffs, there were very impressive guitar leads, the drumming was totally cool, but the songs are not catchy. I mean that when the album ends nothing is left in mind, something memorable, a highlight or something. I listened to the album several times, but each time I had the same feeling. Let’s give an example, Hypnosia was also a band totally influenced by Kreator, but they found the way to compose music of a highest level, while not being metal pioneers or bringers of evolution. Unfortunately, here we don’t have the same case.
I don’t want to say that Deathstorm is a bad band but something is missing. I have the conviction that the lads are not far from making the step further, but this won’t happen with ”Reaping What is Left” which is just a cool easy-listening Teutonic thrash metal album.
2/6