DEATH STRIKE
Fuckin' Death
(Dark Descent Records)
47:01min

If you like MASTER, then it follows that you also like DEATH STRIKE. They’re practically the same band, fronted by the immutable Paul Speckmann. Frankly I think it’s impossible not to enjoy “Fuckin’ Death”, an album that easily matches any MASTER LP in direct influence on the scene. However, as history would have it, “Fuckin’ Death” was to take a back seat, becoming harder and harder to find. Indeed, original copies of the album fetch high prices amongst collectors. But no longer! Twenty years after Nuclear Blast released “Fuckin’ Death”, Dark Descent Records has finally given this album it’s just deserts, and saved us all a heap of money by doing so. An alteration to the cover art (gold border instead of bumblebee yellow), plus four rehearsal tracks, including two that were not originally on the album (‘Live For Free’ and ‘Master’), distinguish Dark Descent’s version from that of Nuclear Blast. As to the album itself, well, twenty years is not so long a time if the album in question contains classics such as ‘Pay To Die’, ‘The Truth’, ‘Mangled Dehumanization’ and ‘Pervert’. These songs are untouched by time, rivaling any modern Death Metal record no matter how good. Paul Speckmann belts out his lyrics like a madman, creating the affect of a crazed maniac over the gritty guitars, bass and drums, bringing to mind a gray cityscape, mist wafting up from the manholes on the street, passing into the sickly yellow light of a street lamp shining on the dead body of a victim of circumstances far beyond his control. While predominated by break-neck speeds, “Fuckin’ Death” has its slow parts in the songs ‘Remorseless Poison’ and ‘The Final Countdown’, which plods along until the drums summon a faster pace. Naturally the faster songs attract more attention, but I feel there’s a lot to be said for a band (any band) that dares to mix it up a little, and achieve similar effects with differing song structures. This is an immense triumph of gritty, sweaty, smelly Death Metal and it deserves your attention. Buy or die! www.myspace.com/deathstikeusa, www.darkdescent.net

Nathan Shapiro

Nathan Shapiro

DEATH STRIKE
Fuckin' Death
(Vic Records)
33:55min

This album is one of the more rawest outputs of Paul Speckmann’s (also of MASTER etc) extensive musical discography and "Fuckin’ Death" unleashes a furious musical storm of punked up Death Metal upon the listener. Raucous and raging riffs clash violently with pounding percussion and bludgeoning bass with vitriolic venomous vocals that are fueled by pure anger and he puts in a very strong performance behind the microphone here. Speckmann penned some of his most aggressive songs for this album in the likes of ‘Pay To Die’, ‘The Truth’ or ‘Mangled Dehumanization’ which will just rip your speakers to shreds with their sharp savage aural assault and unaplogetically grab you by the throat. In fact this album is ALL killer and no filler. Death Metal doesn’t get dirtier or punkier than this. Speckmann has taken the chaos and attitude of 80s Punk and threw it into a musical blender with primitive proto Death Metal which is full of vicious and violent thrashing rage, the tempos constantly on the faster paced side of the scale. It is a relentless onslaught and barrage of noise, filth and fury. If you like your Metal deathly, dirty and destructive then "Fuckin’ Death" delivers on all counts with plenty of hooks that will embed themselves into your skull like a full force axe blow to the head. "Fuckin’ Death" does what it says in the title, it takes the primal power of HELLHAMMER, VENOM etc and adds an extra energy to it. A simplistic but VERY effective formula which has earned this album its rightful revered cult status. Punishingly perfect! (Bigmouth modus on: even though it even increases the musical quality, I still need to mention that this is "just" a re-release of 2 DEATH STRIKE demos from 1985 and 1991, which previously has already been released through Nuclear Blast Records in 1991 and Dark Descent Records in 2010, but in this case Vic Records finally went with a packaging that comes close to the original tape edition, yet without the rehearsal bonus tracks of the Dark Descent edition. Bigmouth modus off. – Frank). All further info at: www.facebook.com/death-strike-167679447659, www.vicrecords.com

Kat “Shevil” Gillham

Kat "Shevil" Gillham

DEATH STRIKE
Fuckin' Death
(Vic Records)
33:55min

This album is one of the more rawest outputs of Paul Speckmann’s (also of MASTER etc) extensive musical discography and "Fuckin’ Death" unleashes a furious musical storm of punked up Death Metal upon the listener. Raucous and raging riffs clash violently with pounding percussion and bludgeoning bass with vitriolic venomous vocals that are fueled by pure anger and he puts in a very strong performance behind the microphone here. Speckmann penned some of his most aggressive songs for this album in the likes of ‘Pay To Die’, ‘The Truth’ or ‘Mangled Dehumanization’ which will just rip your speakers to shreds with their sharp savage aural assault and unaplogetically grab you by the throat. In fact this album is ALL killer and no filler. Death Metal doesn’t get dirtier or punkier than this. Speckmann has taken the chaos and attitude of 80s Punk and threw it into a musical blender with primitive proto Death Metal which is full of vicious and violent thrashing rage, the tempos constantly on the faster paced side of the scale. It is a relentless onslaught and barrage of noise, filth and fury. If you like your Metal deathly, dirty and destructive then "Fuckin’ Death" delivers on all counts with plenty of hooks that will embed themselves into your skull like a full force axe blow to the head. "Fuckin’ Death" does what it says in the title, it takes the primal power of HELLHAMMER, VENOM etc and adds an extra energy to it. A simplistic but VERY effective formula which has earned this album its rightful revered cult status. Punishingly perfect! (Bigmouth modus on: even though it even increases the musical quality, I still need to mention that this is "just" a re-release of 2 DEATH STRIKE demos from 1985 and 1991, which previously have already been released on CD through Nuclear Blast Records in 1991 and Dark Descent Records in 2010, but in this case Vic Records finally went with a packaging that comes pretty close to the original tape edition, yet without the rehearsal bonus tracks of the Dark Descent edition. Bigmouth modus off. – Frank). All further info at: www.facebook.com/death-strike-167679447659, www.vicrecords.com

Kat “Shevil” Gillham

Kat "Shevil" Gillham

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