Formed in 2005, the Norwegian duo of Deathhammer – Sergeant Salsten and Sadomancer – have slowly but surely been building a reputation for themselves. Signed to the excellent Hell’s Headbangers in time for 2012’s ‘Onward to the Pits’, that album received seemingly unanimous praise for its uncompromising take on old-school black-thrash. For album number three the band come to us again via the same label, and as with their previous records, ‘Evil Power’ is endowed with some (deliberately) naive yet charmingly cool art work. The fact they are described as “VERY METAL” a la Vivian from ‘The Young Ones’ only adds to their promise.
The chronic thrash riffs and straight forward drum patterns of opener ‘Warriors of Evil’ immediately make clear where Deathhammer’s allegiances lay. Naturally there are comparisons with the likes of Slayer and Destruction (particularly in those vocals which deviate from their growled screams to screeches) but also with contemporary guardians of truth like Satan’s Wrath. Riffs are infectious and the story is one of UTTER METAL, delivered fast, loose and nuts. To the band’s immense credit, they manage to balance immediacy with nuance (riff variations, drum rolls and vocal eccentricity), and thrash and black metal to near perfection. One of the highlights of the album is the opening gambit on ‘Satan is Back’ which combines intoxicated laughter with a manic pronouncement that, you guessed it, “Satan is Back!” – the perfect soundtrack for last week’s 35°c heat. While the track itself is slower, it still feels as if the hounds of Hell are breathing down your neck.
Classic extreme metal haunts every facet of the experience, with Slayer’s Metal Blade years, early Venom and Bathory seeping through the aggressive, Satanic-themed narratives. As with so many modern cult black-thrash bands, the main difference between this and such legends is the precision of attack and the sheer ferocity it carries. On ‘Powertrap’, for instance, there’s a demonic force behind the riffs and solos which shreds the listener to pieces; also, the drum sound is consistently punishing. Arguably the pièce de résistance song-wise is the final track ‘Omen of the Beast’. It builds epically and slowly before – BAM! – violent speed erupts out, following which, the pace deviates. The best part of it all is the exquisite riff work leading up to and heading past the solo; the viciousness of which definitely represents the band at its most potent. That said, the manic harmonies which drive the track (and album) to its conclusion are no less impressive.
With regards to differences between this and the originators mentioned earlier, another unavoidable fact is that there is no track on a par with, say, ‘Final Command’ or ‘Heaven’s on Fire’. However, not only is bringing up such (un)godly examples churlish, brilliant songwriting is somewhat of a redundancy when approaching such unconcerned mania as Deathhammer exhibits. The effect of listening to ‘Evil Power’ is like being hit by a blast of nuclear propelled dust. And the more you’re exposed to it, the better it gets.
(8.5/10 Jamie)
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