Bloody hell (literally) how quickly do these goremeisters work? It seemed like only yesterday that I reviewed them continuing to kill and indeed their double album prior to it ‘Back In Blood.’ Also the Germans were only over here like yesterday supporting Destruction (and I admit I missed them unfortunately). Perhaps they are looking at being the Darkthrone of splatter metal and vomiting forth discs in less than a year. Luckily I am pleased to say that the quality of this has not been compromised at all. In fact there are some ideas thrown into ‘Rockers And War’ that I have not heard before from Debauchery and make them even more interesting. Also there is still that huge sense of irreverent and un PC fun about this new one that had me unashamedly sniggering quite a few times.
Dividing things into two distinct parts what is surely the heavy side if this were on vinyl starts with ‘There Is Only War,’ a chugging guitar and screams and bombs exploding like the soundtrack of ‘Band Of Brothers’ which I have just been re-watching. The golden rule may well be not mentioning the war but it is pretty impossible not to here. Haywire musicianship flies in and you really notice the keyboards here in the background, something I had not really noted before from the band. The music is fast but accessible and there are hints with this that open up in later songs, which I will soon get to. Thomas’s vocals are excellent on the seething ‘Primordial Annihilator’ it sounds as though he is throwing his throat in all sorts of directions and this one is cleaving fury from beginning to end. Although not used in every track the keyboards are back in ‘Honour And Courage’ and it is here that things hit me. Debauchery are almost cheekily amalgamating their gung-ho brutal death style with what can only be described as battle metal. The keys here would not be out of place in say a Turisas or even Bal Sagoth number. It works really well too and then to turn the song on its head for a long flailing guitar solo simply adds to the insanity.
“For fucks sake” are the words that spring to mind along with “what next” when what sounds like a brass and string section pop up on ‘Killing Ground’ this is really crazy schizophrenic stuff make no mistake. Well the symphonic pompously battle blazing keyboards really make a flourish in the spectacular ‘Wolves Of The North;’ you really have to hear this shit to believe it, and I really cannot think of another example of what I expected to be a humble death metal album with so much going on in it. The second part of the album goes back to basics, stripped down AC/DC worshipping numbers rock out and lay off the speed and adrenaline. There had to be a song with misogynistic porno tendencies and it is ‘Demon Lady’ the lyrics of which are quite understandable and sound like they are being delivered by a very naughty schoolboy wearing shorts, so having said that it goes very well with the music. All in all this is a great album and huge fun to listen to. In fact if the review pile were not teetering I would be giving it another play now and cant wait to get back to this in calmer times.
http://www.debauchery.de
http://www.myspace.com/debaucheryband
