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Death metal isn’t really my thing, but I usually enjoy it when I get it to review. Germany’s Deathronation remind me of why that is.
Where many death metal bands look to the Swedish scene of technical proficiency and high-end equipment for inspiration, Deathronation take a more old school, analog approach. While their technical abilities are top-notch, as certainly demonstrated in the near-eight-minute epic “Scorn Dominion,” it’s evident amid the swirling chaos of guitar riffage and frantic drumming that song and feeling come first. In this sense, they have more in common with black metal than your typical death metal band. The vocals stand out as well, being more a harsh, loud whisper than the typical DM gutteral grunting.
There also seems to be a sense of humor: The powerful “Church of Salvation” cuts off at the end, segueing into the under-one-minute acoustic instrumental “Mental Ossuary of Mine,” a tongue-in-cheek way to end a death metal album for sure.
This domestic release by Metalhit.com, due out in mid-July, also includes Deathronation’s first demo tape, A Soil Forsaken, a much rougher recording, but no less impressive in its ability to create a black metal mood within the dynamics of death metal.
This compilation of Deathronation’s current discography certainly ranks up there as one of – if not THE – best death metal I’ve heard yet, in that it’s something I could listen to constantly without having to be in that “death metal mood.” Well done, meine Freunde!