Saturday 31 May 2014

Deathrow - Deception Ignored (1988)

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Deception Ignored. A masterpiece and a landmark in the technical waters of thrash metal. I would label it as the most complex "pure" thrash album, that should not be affiliated with the term progressive metal just yet. Although not as underground as one might think, since the band had already made its place with their previous two releases:
Riders of Doom 1986 and Raging Steel 1987.
This album was my first encounter with the less known German band and I felt it necessary to indulge into Deathrow a bit deeper.
The concerning album is nothing like its predecessors and most of the credits should probably go to the recruited guitarist Uwe Osterlehner. The song structures are absolutely mad on this one, with each song having its own unique traits, like for example; the manic riffing parts along with Milo's psychotic narrations on the song Narcotic, the notorious and seemingly unperformable instrumental Triocton, the "metalthrashingmad" atmosphere of N.L.Y.H. (Never Lose Your Humour) or the purely epic solos on both Watching the World and Machinery. I could probably write an extensive review for each and every track on this album. It does demand a few repetitions to get used to and to ingest the whole package, because the complex nature of the album makes it difficult to assimilate and remember the parts that will later haunt your head for time to come. Transitions will seem sloppy, so I urge you to rewind and relisten those parts which seem a bit out of place or even out of sync ... you will be doing yourself a favour.
The production is satisfactory, even on the 2013 remastered edition, which does not differ too much from the original. But all in all, it's a must listen for the fans of Coroner, Watchtower, Defiance, Mekong Delta and bands alike.

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