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As the album name suggests, Finland’s up and coming Deathchain produce a blend of death and thrash metal, mixing the blasting drums and growls of death with the fast chugging guitar work and sing along choruses typical in thrash. It is an interesting path to take, and one which for the most part this band pulls off, but I am still left thinking that much more could have been done. At first it is tempting to be overpowered by the blistering speed of this record, as the riffs maintain the pace almost relentlessly, with some equally quick drum blasts which are a reminder of their death metal leanings. However, with a little more consideration it becomes possible to look beyond the speed of the guitars and drums and judge each song, and in this way the album seems consistent, but fairly plain. Every track revolves around riffs that are fast but quite generic and unmemorable, with choruses which vary from being catchy and memorable to being pretty formulaic. Deathrash Legions is an example of a chorus which really works and adds to the song – on other occasions, the band don’t seem to have quite reached the combination between death metal brutality and thrash catchiness, and it tends to slip into pretty boring sections. The vocals on this album actually remind me of a mix between those of Lamb of God and Children of Bodom, and this raspy style in my opinion gets rather worn out and irritating after nine songs. There are moments when variety is injected into the album, and there are welcome occasions when the riffs settle into slower, more thrashy ideas which are often more effective. At times Deathchain really seem to crack the combination they are aiming for, but I can imagine these riffs wearing out quickly, and combined with the vocals this reduces the lifespan of the album for me. Despite the real attempt to bridge death metal and thrash metal, this is an album with predictable structures and lack of variety, and is little more than the same song repeated nine times with a different chorus hook in each. Worth checking out to sample their take on death and thrash metal, but I have to say I’d still rather settle for one or the other, not a competent but unspectacular attempt to incorporate both genres.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Return Of The Nemesis |
| 2. Venom Preacher |
| 3. Lepra Lord |
| 4. Graveyard Witchery |
| 5. Deathrash Legions |
| 6. Napalm Satan |
| 7. Panzer Holocaust |
| 8. Morbid Mayhem |
| 9. Valley Of The Corpses |
: 39.06
| Buy other Deathchain albums |
