One of the first death metal bands that Century Media Records commended, Holland’s Asphyx are still ranked among the elite of underground metal and if there’s one reason the Dutch stand out is because that they can’t really be mistaken for anyone else.
That said, “Deathhammer” is unmistakably Asphyx, and the brutal and corrosive old-school death metal tunes contained on this record would sound right at home on classic records like “The Rack” and “Last One on Earth”. When their sound is as ravenously aggressive and savage as this, there’s certainly no need for improvement so older fans, knowledgeable of their initial catalogue will certainly appreciate the crushingly heavy nature of songs like the neck-breaking “Into The Timewastes”, the straight-up brutal “Reign Of The Brute” and the venomous “Vespa Crabro”. The title theme is another triumphant tune as it possesses all the elements that make Asphyx so damn good: the demolishing drumming, the savage and brutal riffing, the stripped-down and meaty grooves, the thick bass lines and the corrosive growls of Martin Van Drunen.
“Deathhammer” is a crushingly brutal and vicious record and it comes as no surprise considering that the Dutch has yet to disappoint me, still I’m glad to find out that Asphyx show no sign of slowing down with the ageing. (8/10)
David Alexandre
Band info: www.centurymedia.com
Label info: www.myspace.com/officialasphyx
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