Encouraging the listener to deny the urge to follow, to model oneself after others and instead pave their own way beyond the self-corrupted, greed stricken zombification of humanity at present Koblenz, Germany-based black/thrash metal quartet DESASTER return with a well-representative tenth full-length album. Always a band capable of a broad range of black, heavy, and speed metal sounds the variety shown on ‘Kill All Idols‘ should impress for all that it covers in under forty minutes, not only in terms of riffs but their melodic hand as well. As and umpteenth record from one of the most consistent and underrated names in this sector this record provides an easily grasped and complete look at all the majesty and horror available to their long standing personage though I’m not sure it outdoes some of their finest moments over the years.

Desaster formed circa 1988 but would only last through their rehearsal phase for a couple of years before setting the band aside in 1990. Likely inspired by ‘Infernal Overkill‘ and ‘Obsessed by Cruelty‘ as their evil thrash metal style suggested their efforts weren’t exactly stellar, we could maybe consider some of their ideas contemporaries of a band like Poison (Germany) in some vague sense but far less talented or ambitious. You can refer to the last ~20 minutes of a 10 Year Anniversary compilation for more context per their earliest days/rehearsals. Guitarist Infernal was the one to survive that tentative era of the band and remains the sole founding member today beyond their more official formation circa 1992 which notably included longtime bassist Odin and vocalist Okkulto (Eurynomos) who’d help develop the personality of the band on two key demo tapes. The first, ‘The Fog of Avalon‘ (1993) is beyond substantial per its wretched vocals and mid-paced, sinister standing and stands as one of the more coherent examples of this style beyond Nifelheim‘s arguably heavier blasted ‘Unholy Death‘. Though their first gasp was a muddy tape and their single guitar was sloppy enough it is an important marker to note as the pro-recorded ‘Lost in the Ages‘ (1994) demo released not long after took those ideas seriously and markedly improved, creating the foundation for a sound inspired by black metal, thrash metal, hardcore punk and earlier 80’s traditional heavy metal by proxy. That tape is a general favorite of mine among their work and an archetypal hand which very few bands contested as its style eventually translated to their first two full-length releases.

1995 was an important year for this black/thrash metal style in the sense that records like Absu‘s ‘The Sun of Tiphareth‘, Nifelheim‘s self-titled debut, and smaller releases from Deströyer 666, Aura Noir, and a tape from Bewitched (among many others) all signaled a different approach to black metal. You’ve probably heard of all of these bands by now but I don’t recall seeing Desaster (and Merciless Records releases in general) on distro adverts or lists back in the day outside of maybe Century Media when their debut LP ‘A Touch of Medieval Darkness‘ released in 1996. As far as I recall we didn’t see broader interest in the band until 2000 or so, at least in terms of crossing over to the states, and this was a surprise to discover then as each of their (now) ten records have been damned consistent in their treatment of “epic” black-thrashing heavy metal. Nostalgia and a huge burst of speed hold ‘Tyrants of the Underworld‘ (2000) among the band’s very best for my own taste (see also: ‘The Oath of an Iron Ritual‘, 2016), and don’t worry I won’t go on commenting on the band’s whole discography, but it’d been a milestone as their last album with Okkulto as current vocalist Sataniac would join in 2001 soon after. What I will say is that you really can’t go wrong with this band’s discography, you won’t find suck-ass riffs or awful shit on any of ’em though I typically don’t favor their late 2000’s stuff, some of it goes too blunt with its action/vocals.

At some point in the 2010’s Desaster swapped drummers, picked up a bit more thrash and injected more melody into their sound, a change which’d more completely span the ideal they’ve long represented which crosses borderlines between black, death, and thrash metal via the natural conduit of heavy metal songcraft informing the general structure of their songcraft. In this way ‘Churches Without Saints‘ (2021) was both representative and alien, tuneful but in an abrasive way which just didn’t gel with me at the time. It was a bummer as much as it was a triumph as the prior album had been a clear favorite in their discography up to that point. Because of this I’d had no serious expectations for ‘Kill All Idols‘ beyond appreciating the Chris Moyen cover art and enjoying the speed metal/metalpunk roll of the first single “Towards Oblivion“, which’d already been more representative of what these folks can do with a certain shade of melody guiding their hand.

Though I am definitely the type of old asshole who prefers their 90’s stuff beyond a few choice releases I generally find myself revisiting the surreal atmosphere and mid-paced lunge of their debut most often and to my ear ‘Kill All Idols‘ has the high-energetic, abrasive approach expected from Desaster but more importantly it has the variety they’re best suited for. Either by way of clarity of recording or their songwriting alone the more melodic side of the band continues to kinda jab the Deceased fan in the arm within the first half of this album, mostly per its use of vocal force and punkish underpinnings but also via the production values here from an unlikely partnership with thee Greg Wilkinson of Earhammer Studio. The live recording set up and crisp render beyond gives the band no place to hide within the immediate, short distance given between the listener and all four performers. There have definitely been Desaster records where I’d like a bout six more feet of distance from Sataniac‘s monitor in the past but this one nails it has he gnashes and grunts through these nine songs without overtaking the flow of their attack. This lends lends a fair deal of presence to the rhythm section alongside a pared-down rhythm guitar tone, sound design that’d just as well suit a metalpunk and/or speed metal band or any group with an anthemic quality.

Though we do not start in an anthemic place the band’s own melodic chagrin launches forthright as opener “Great Repulsive Force” grips the ears, stretches its toothed maw and rushes right into its first ranting verse beyond the introduction of the main riff. This is kinda fuckin’ weird as an introduction, not only the wordiness of Sataniac‘s rip into it but the tone of the opening isn’t so hard-edged outright. Desaster have always reflected different interests in black metal guitar work, specifically their reach beyond Scandinavian tropes for black metal muse, and the first couple of songs on ‘Kill All Idols‘ reflect this per an interest in sombre and dramatic station given less of their militant hand than expected. “Emanation of the Profane” is probably the peak of this but later on “Stellar Remnant” and parts of “Fathomless Victory” likewise resemble it.

The treacherous, barbaric thrash metal groove and puked expurse which opens “Ash Cloud Ritual” soon develops into one of the more notable monstrosities herein a Sodom-esque rant which works itself up to a dizzying, hammered whorl at its start and endpoint. Though “Towards Oblivion” is the first catchier awakening of the album’s tone “Ash Cloud Ritual” stands out as a good example of the band’s more abrasive character, off-putting as the bluntness of the opening might be. The album’s pacing is all over the place from there and appreciably for the sake of variety, reflecting a proper “rock” album experience in some sense.

“Throne of Ecstasy” is essentially the melodic pay off beyond the epic heavy metal trenched “Fathomless Victory”, between the two pieces the real impact of the full listen and the most immersive portion of it lies within their pairing. With the hardcore punk/speed metal inspired kick through “They are the Law” set afterward ‘Kill All Idols‘ shapes itself into an odd-toned but full-ranged experience and a representative sample of Desaster‘s finer traits. Closer “Stellar Remnant” reflects some of the tone of “Fathomless Victory” but otherwise hits like (early) Celtic Frost covering a song off ‘South of Heaven‘, mid-paced and chunking in its roll n’ riff but aiming for dramatic tension within its ranting, puked vocalizations and double-bass drummed step.

Does the tone of ‘Kill All Idols‘ reflect its themes? This’d been the only question I’d had for the record after spending several hours with it beyond preview. The punkish quality of several pieces versus the melodramatic ‘epic’ stretches within others wouldn’t be any sort of outrage to the crust punk and speed metal era crossover fan though the traditional heavy metal bound of it doesn’t quite match up with the classic black metal fan looking for a killing strike attached to every note. Either way I wouldn’t take the time to consider this if it were a mediocre spin, I enjoyed my time with it as a different shade of a band I’ve been a fairweather fan of for a couple of decades.

There aren’t a ton of musicians who have ten albums, much less thirty plus years, in ’em in terms of staying true to the real thing and still doing it well. Though it is clear that Desaster have evolved over the years per key changes in vocal and drum spots their enduring combination of traditional heavy metal structuring and extreme metal carapace still make for an entertaining unit. This is yet one of the most underrated bands in this black/thrash sector old-and-new and with this album they continue to weigh the scales of time in their favor. The anthemic, punkish trait given to ‘Kill All Idols‘ alongside its eerily bright production values make a solid addition to their discography though for my own taste this doesn’t necessarily overtake a few personal favorites from their past. A high recommendation.

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