Remember when Kreator didn’t suck? Me too. Although they peaked nearly a decade before I was born, and their latter day output has ranged from mediocre to downright unlistenable, there’s no denying those first five Kreator albums are pure fire. Not only that, but each album had something truly unique to offer. Subsequently, Endless Pain spawned an entire wave of black metal bands, Coma of Souls undoubtedly shaped the *ahem* neo-thrash movement of the ’00s, and Pleasure to Kill, well, had it not been for Death’s Scream Bloody Gore, might’ve gone down as ground zero for all things death metal.
Why all this talk about one of Germany’s finest (nobody will touch those Scorps)? Well folks, today’s band in review fall into the aforementioned Pleasure to Kill worship category, and holy smokes, do they do so well. Meet Desolus. Formed back in 2019, this terrorizing trio has been lurking around the D.C. metal scene for half a decade now, generating buzz with the release of their debut single last year, “System Shock”. Unsurprisingly, it’s this song that serves as the title track of their debut full length of the same name, issued rightfully so by top shelf underground purveyors, Hells Headbangers (“Sup devils!”).
If you’re going into System Shock expecting another by the numbers, modern day old school thrash rehash, think again. Yes, this album adheres strongly to the Pleasure to Kill formula, with touches of Persecution Mania era Sodom and Dark Angel as well. That said, System Shock does so with a frightening amount of confidence and bloodlust. Each song storms harder than the last, giving the listener little room to breathe. From the unhinged opening title cut, we’re treated to violent riffage, breakneck drumming, and frenzied shouts. All of these elements only become more pronounced as the album progresses.
Mosh friendly ragers like “Curse of the Technomancer”, “The Invasion Begins”, and “Sea of Fire” are bound to please flat brim hat wearing thrashers of all ages and guaranteed to get the pit spiraling out of control. In the same breath, I’m hesitant to call this “just” a thrash album. The primitive death metal leanings of cuts like “From Man to Machine”, “Metal Fetishist”, and “The Arrival (Of Evil)” are too blatant to ignore. Speaking of blatant, maybe it’s me, but the riffs and arrangement of “The Sigilite” sound eerily similar to Kreator’s “Under the Guillotine”. It’s OK boys! We won’t tell Mille!
All in all, System Shock is a shock to the system in more ways than one. For starters, it’s a shock to the largely tired thrash scene/system who has brainlessly regurgitated the same tired Exodus riffs for the past 20+ years. On a more personal scale, it’ll be a shock to your system, snapping your neck in two, melting your face off, bursting your eardrums, and liquefying your innards. Once upon a time, that used to be the bare minimum for a thrash album. What more can I say people? This is utter brutality at 120 MPH, take it or leave it.
8 out of 10
Label: Hells Headbangers Records
Genre: Death/Thrash Metal
For fans of: Kreator, Sodom, Dark Angel