DESULTOR - Masters of Hate CD
Abyss Records
Genre: Thrash
During my so-called vacation I had a chance to hear a song from this Swedish band's debut to get a taste for what was to come. My initial reaction was "ahhh" because of the clean power metal style vocals on that particular song. Musically DESULTOR are an intense modern thrash duo featuring Markus Joha on guitar and vocals plus drummer Ibrahim Strahlman. (There's a guest bassist but you can't hear him) Once I gave Masters of Hate a proper listen I found it to be a thoroughly interesting as well as intensely sounding release. The release starts off slow and proggy with the opening instrumental "Chapter 1: New Era" as if it's the soundtrack for a new outer space flick. After that point on all hell breaks loose with "Black Monday" then this thing sheds it's skin to expose the raw meat. Markus Joha is a virtuoso on guitar and his vocals are pure power metal but in an aggressive style as opposed to operatic. Ibrahim Strahlman relies mainly on triggers but throws enough fills into the mix, combined with the clean production values, to come across sounding like a machine-like octopus behind the kit.
The first part (or Chapter) of this release is incredible. Along with the the previously mentioned "Black Monday" what follows, "Another World" and "Denied', adds a sense of melody within some punishing death metal riffs. After a few listens Markus Joha's higher range vocals / wails / sinister whispers complements the aggressiveness. The greatness continues on after another spacy instrumental "Chapter 2: The Phoenix" designating part two of this infusion of thrash, death and power metal. Songs like "The Luxury of Pain" and "Caged" are superb with the former being a majestic beauty while the later a full on rage. The title track would fit perfect as the closer for their live shows. DESULTOR are two guys with a sound like a five piece act. If they can pull this off in a live setting then the crowds at those European Metal festivals will go apeshit. Masters of Hate is outstanding and definitely fits right into my end of year list as one of the best releases for 2012.
Rating: 5/5
Label: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/desultorsweden
No comments:
Post a Comment