Destitution are a four piece thrash band from the Netherlands who formed in 2007 with one purpose – To create old-school Thrash metal without losing sight of melody, variation and composition. After Two EP’s, the band entered the studio in late 2013 to record their debut album “Beware the Fury of the Patient Man” which is a scathing thrash assault on the state of modern day society. This theme is reflected in the artwork created for it by British artist Dan Capp who has also designed artwork for Burzum and Winterfylleth, and to be honest, it’s fantastic!
Starting off with “Mr. Greedy”, a pounding, tension building groove introduces the album with a twisting lead lick before the thrash based groove kicks in. The aggressive vocals slam society’s obsession with money and how it sometimes decides more than the legal system and the furious music behind it backs it up with a tight rhythm section, melodic harmonies and a classic melodic shred solo section. A ‘clean break’ in the song with an almost eastern vibe to it adds some flavour to the song before it kicks back in with a full thrash assault. “Alcathrash” follows with its main riff which in parts, is quite similar to Diamond Head’s classic anthem “Am I evil?” Laced with plenty of riot vocals and frantic drumming, it employs harmony riffs and melodic lead work over the powerful groove feel of the rhythm section. “Criticize” starts off cleanly with a simple melody before it kicks up a gear as the band joins in with a distorted variation of the intro’s melody line. This twists in and out of groove filled sections and well worked guitar solos whilst the rhythm sections keeps the tight groove going.
“Rhythm of Horses” starts with a drum fill which signals the start of the classic thrash gallop sound. The heavily palm-muted guitars followed by a series of short high notes create a classic 80’s styled thrash sound similar to that of early Metallica and Anthrax, whilst the lyrics are a clear attack on the deception used by politicians to lead their countries into conflict. Towards the end of the song, the pace picks up with a blistering solo which rips through the song. “Western Civilization” is a short instrumental track which samples various political speeches from news briefings which talk about current affairs such as the financial crisis and the threat from extremists. The sinister guitar underneath it creates the feeling that something is about to happen and with the last words of the sample, “Vigilante” kicks in. The full on thrash assault picks back up with a fast paced feel. The tight guitar sound and tight rhythms create an excellent feel, perfect for headbanging along to whilst many aspiring guitarists will be working out how to make their fingers replicate the tricky movements and trying not to induce a severe case of RSI.
“Guilty Until Proven Innocent” is a concept which society today embraces far too readily, especially in the internet domain and the aggressive tone of the song reflects this despairing situation. With the harshly shouted vocals, hefty double-kick and dark sounding guitars which add to the intensity of the song, it berates those who use their prejudices and own distorted beliefs to push their own twisted agendas. “Affinity” starts with an acoustic melody and clean guitar lead over it but that soon gives way to the distortion for a brief moment. As soon as the verse kicks in, the acoustic and clean guitars return with the vocals sang in an almost gentle manner. The heavy sections mirror the clean parts, adding a more melodic edge to the band’s composition before the transition to the thrash assault is timed to perfection, giving an extra dimension to the song.
“Screenplay” kicks in with a very fast paced thrash-like take on a NWOBHM sound and its attack on social media. The riffs and rhythm section are straight to the point, keeping up the groove which has ran throughout the album and the vocals are harshly spat out once again, showing the disgust at the state of affairs at the moment, echoed by lyrics like “Cleansing our thirst with the waters of mainstream, The longest river of poison and yet we can’t see”. The title track is the final track of the album and it begins with another clean section which is a simple, stripped back melody which erupts into a fast thrash meets 80’s heavy metal sound again which hits like a freight train. Filled with simple but effective riffs and fills, the song is fast paced and heavy, the vocals are raw and powerful and the rhythm section is incredibly tight. The lead break round the middle of the song starts off in a harmony section, teasing at something bigger but not quite delivering before it drops back into the fast paced riff onslaught which, flows into a slow-paced clean section for a moment before kicking back in once more. The song ends with another solo section which closes the album nicely with its relentless groove, dramatic lead guitar work and ominous synths adding more depth to finish it off nicely.
“Beware the Fury of the Patient Man” is a classic example of using a tried and tested sound which has worked in the past and proving it still does. It’s aggressive, it’s angry and it’s perfect for banging your head to. As a debut album, it’s great and hopefully more will follow on from this.
(8/10 Fraggle)
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