Possessed and gathering legions allied with the darkest souls abounding the worshippers of aphotic desire behind Washington D.C.-based thrash metal quartet DESOLUS now grow in numbers, extending their ritual hand for this even more maniac sophomore full-length album. Only the most mayhemic fandom would dare follow the stabbing wrath of ‘Dwellers of the Twilight Void‘ and its bloody-handed aggression, feats of carnage built on the sinister brutality of mid-to-late 80’s thrashing death. As their crew builds upon their debut with heavier, no less ambitious craft the mounting skill and tradition-stoked vision of the band only becomes more impressive.

Desolus formed as a pandemia inspired trio circa 2020 aiming for an aggressive style of classic thrash metal heavily inspired by records like ‘Terrible Certainty‘, ‘Persecution Mania‘ and the general extremity that’d arrive to the sub-genre beyond 1986. Their approach was raw, shrieking mad and a bolt of black lightning as they’d pushed their attack harder than most any peer around when their debut LP (‘System Shock‘, 2024) released. My review of the album detailed the Kreator-rooted extreme thrash pipeline well enough but the gist is that these folks were pushing the physical limit of their niche into psychotic mania and it was one of the more rad records put out that year. Any fan of the earlier records from Massacra or Merciless will appreciate this band’s attack and, despite a few line-up changes and a years between, album number two generally stokes the same ancient fires.

For ‘Dwellers of the Twilight Void‘ the band’ve expanded to quartet with prior drummer Travis Stone (Pig Destroyer, ex-Noisem) switching to second chair guitar and new drummer Bileh Dougsiyeh (Torvus) taking over the kit. I’m not sure that Desolus‘ internal dynamic has shifted drastically here so much as their capabilities have ramped in the interim as the maniac quality of their work takes on increasingly ambitious pacing, ripping between steadier slugged thrash metal grooves and the hyper-sped slashing of their debut. The nutso ride n’ spazz of Side A peak “Threading the Atom” and its bassline conquered push is the most direct evidence of this up front but you’ll note smaller changes in production values, quick-turning riff changes and more variety in general on the race there.

The full listen explodes in mind loudest somewhere in the midst of “Threading the Atom” and its follow-up “Visages of Death” where rambling basslines and raw, uglied production values set these folks apart in the crowded history (but infrequent release schedule) of brutal, extreme late 80’s styled thrash metal records. With that said the impact of ‘Dwellers of the Twilight Void‘ at launch is no less ruthless as opener/title track “Dweller of the Twilight Void” steps beyond the horror and Hellwitch inspired scrap of “The Portal” and scrambles forth with the ranting speed of the first Sadus record outright. A sort of Bay Area informed downturn (~1:31 minutes in) quickly speaks to the extremist groove they’ve finagled into their craft, a feature which sparks up throughout the full listen.

There’ll be no questioning Desolus early extreme thrash authenticity as they tunnel through this album and the high-kinetic damage done provides a real thrill beyond familiar or nostalgic sounds per its riff-after-riff approach. From the opener through “The Pact… (Sealed in Blood)” these folks take maybe one breath in the process of ramping their momentum and this is the main reason their mid-album breakthrough hits as big as it does, they’ve funneled the skull toward it. If I had one complaint to whip at those first five songs it’d be that they could’ve squeezed an extra lead, divebomb or whatever into the fray (“Trespass the Threshold” smokes) but the riffs are there either way.

Side B starter “Woman of Infernal Beauty” doesn’t necessarily pick up the bomb that “The Visage” dropped but it does recall the rattling frenzy of Gammacide‘s debut as much as it does ‘Extreme Aggression‘ when sanded down to its core action where we find Desolus still pushing cranked speeds and rallying grooves well into the second half of this ~36 minute nine song album. The abrasive quality of their main rhythm guitar tone works in the context of the more speed metallic turns of that song but stands out more within the band’s just-okay cover of Slayer‘s “Show No Mercy” and the clangorous snap through closer “Nefarious Dominion”. Though the second half of ‘Dwellers of the Twilight Void‘ can’t match the intensity of the first and things go off the rails here and there the full listen manages to once again amount to an experience worthy of the old gods of later-era classic thrash metal.

There are few feats within the scope of ‘old school’ heavy metal that I admire more than taking on the high physical demands and compositional standards of late 80’s thrash metal and making a truly psychotic, repeatable experience of it. Many come close to the reckless, punkish attitude of extreme thrash on the verge easily but very few deliver riffs and wild-eyed attack worthy enough to echo throughout the skull beyond the moment. Desolus had their shit down on the first record, and they’ve been smart to replicate that level of maniac intensity here on their follow up, but somewhere in the midst of ‘Dwellers of the Twilight Void‘ firing off their work crosses the threshold into brain worming psychosis beyond the norm. A very high recommendation.

---