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This is a thrash classic, pure and simple. It's among the elite of thrash, despite the lack of attention these guys get sometimes. This album also marks the Dark Angel debut for the drum god, better known as the drummer for Death, Gene Hoglan, so it goes without saying that the drumming on this album is nothing short of amazing and intense, the drumming is a definitely a highlight. So if you want to know where he started, look no further. The title track starts off the album with a roar. Great drumming, Don Doty's usual growling, snarling, screaming vocals and the screeching riffs really make themselves known in this song. "The Burning Of Sodom" begins with a blood-curdling scream by Don Doty, with a MASSIVE wall of drums! The brutality goes down just a tad in the middle, then starts up again. One of my favorite songs off the album. "Hunger Of The Dead" starts off with a whining guitar sound, then goes into a massivley heavy mid-paced section, and BOOM! speed metal goodness! This song has a nice solo in the middle. "Merciless Death" RULES!!! It starts with a cool, rhythmic bass line, then come the guitars then, the drums. This is a really awesome song and Don Doty really shows his snarling, growling voice in this song, and also shows that he can do high-pitched wails too!
"Death Is Certain (Life Is Not)" is yet another merciless thrash assault that doesn't let up until the end of the song. Gene Hoglan’s double bass really shines on this one, as does Don Doty’s screaming vocals. The Guitar solo is also surprisingly melodic. "Black Prophecies" is the longest song on the album (8:34), but just as fast and heavy as all the other songs on the album. It does get a little boring because of the unessesary length (this could've easily been a 4 minute song), but it's still good. "Perish In Flames" rivals "Merciless Death" as my favorite song on the album. It starts off mid-paced, and then just becomes a huge thrash beast, this some good vocals by Doty. Towards the middle, it paces down alittle, but it's still fast, followed by a pause with the instruments whining with feedback and Don Doty growling, then goes back into pure thrashiness. This is an underrated thrash classic and if I could give every metal fan in the world a copy of this album, I would. This album is fast and heavy from beginning to end! If you're a fan of Slayer, Kreator or early Sepultura, you'll really dig this. Just a little warning, it’s best that thrash vets stick with this and thrash newbies look elsewhere, as this is an extremely heavy, hard to digest album, with not very much variety.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Darkness Descends |
| 2. The Burning Of Sodom |
| 3. Hunger Of The Undead |
| 4. Merciless Death |
| 5. Death Is Certain (Life Is Not) |
| 6. Black Prophecies |
| 7. Perish In Flames |
: 47.13
| Buy other Dark Angel albums |
