Deathstars, leaders of the current milieu of gothic, industrial and electronic related metal have again peaked their heads above the parapet to give us another fun and memorable piece of metal that can have a club dancing within seconds.

Everything Destroys You is their fifth studio album carrying a delightfully nihilistic title that sounds well in the current social and political situation that has had many people like myself contemplate what really is the point in carrying on when care-givers never seem to do their job properly.

But, nihilism aside, this album is one that looked promising after a nine-year period from 2014’s The Perfect Cult, but didn’t quite hit the target as these blokes from Sweden aimed when heading back onto the audible battlefield.

Once you put this album on you’ll be reminded of the many industrial, electro, EBM and neu deutsch hearte acts whom Deathstars now stand alongside when it comes to making a playlist for a night out in a gothic nightclub. But in terms of originality and wonderment, I can’t say this piece had me dancing around my bedroom the same ways these guys have achieved in the past by making songs of war, violence, suffering and hatred things to bop and lock to.

With so much to work with in terms of current affairs and political/social irks which have helped Deathstars secure their place in alternative culture, it does make me wonder what kind of news these blokes have consumed in the last nine years.

Don’t get me wrong, this album still packs a nice punch and had me tapping along to the beats which make a decent dance or electro act but the wow-factor one would expect after listening to this band for over a decade has not quite berthed as you’d hoped for.

Overall, Deathstars came into their own a good few years ago and they still have a strong following that won’t let them down, though this album on a personal level is only half way there, but if I get the chance to see them in concert anytime soon, hopefully they’ll prove me wrong with the many theatrics that have made many a kid’s heads turn when they come through their town.

(5/10 Demitri Levantis)

https://www.facebook.com/deathstars

https://everythingdestroysyou.bandcamp.com/album/everything-destroys-you-explicit