Desaster -The Oath of an Iron Ritual
Desaster's sheer over-the-top fury provides fun but intense metal
You know those people that say they hate metal because "It's all just screaming"? Well, the blackened thrash of Germany's Desaster is pretty much what you'd imagine they think all metal sounds like. Wholly unrelenting and over-the-top to the extent that the band almost accidentally parody the metal genre, The Oath of an Iron Ritual (the group's eighth full-length) is a ferocious album that takes some adjusting to before you can really enjoy it.
'Proclamation In Shadows' sets the scene for much of the album - its bone-crushing riffs and out-of-control speed are characteristic of Desaster. That's not to say there isn't variation on the album though, as elements of NWoBHM, as well as speed, black, thrash, death and extreme metal all help make-up the album.
The intro of 'Conquer & Contaminate' (once your past the gunfire and sinister droning) sounds like Diamond Head on some pretty powerful steroids, whilst the frantic assault that is 'End Of Tyranny' could easily be the lovechild of Slayer and Behemoth.
If an album was ever to soundtrack the apocalypse, the sheer unforgiving fury of The Oath of an Iron Ritual may just do the trick. Vocalist Sataniac's slobbering yells (which sound like a zombie posing as a metal singer) may be almost ridiculously intense, and the tempos may be overly frantic, but give in to its unapologetically intense nature, and The Oath of an Iron Ritual is another fun ride from Germany's most unrestrained band.
7/10
The Oath of an Iron Ritual is out now via Metal Blade Records
