When it comes to the topic of the global Thrash Metal scene, China is a nation that fans and major publications alike often never bring up, for any number of reasons, despite a continually growing domestic scene. With DEMONSLAUGHT 666’s effort on both “Nekroslaughter Battlefield” and the “Witchstorm / Morbid Vendetta” single (which was added as bonus tracks on this edition – Frank), the band brings forth a pair of solid recordings sure to please fans of both modern and old school sects and should easily help highlight the burgeoning Chinese Metal scene. “Nekroslaughter Battlefield” opens with the blistering high-speed ‘Grave Knights From Tartarus’, packed with ripping blast beats, breakneck tempo changes and searing guitar solos. There are intricate details packed into the song, such as brief moments of guitar harmonization, which keep riff structures interesting. ‘Midnight Holocaust’ features moments of impressively vicious double-bass footwork from drummer “A New Machine” and the mid-song bass break once again demonstrates a band that understands the mechanics of powerful songwriting. ‘Nekromancers Under the AXE!’ has vocalist Paravoid screaming over top riffs that remind the listener of old school DESTRUCTION pushed to full speed with the wheels falling off. ‘The Witch’s Calling Beyond The Galaxy’ and ‘Vipers Of The Night’ have DEMONSLAUGHT 666 moving into songs that are past the five minute mark, allowing for use of extended melodies and guitar solos, including some impressive harmonies and counter-rhythms amongst the guitars on ‘Vipers Of The Night’. The production on “Nekroslaughter Battlefield” is ultra-modern and extremely well-defined. The production and mixing on any recording are, essentially, uncredited members of the band and the effort made here genuinely highlights DEMONSLAUGHT 666’s power in all the places it should. The guitars have a powerful presence in the middle of the mix, with thick lower end power that does not bleed into the bass guitar. The percussion is perfectly engineered, bass drums and snare never overpower in the mix and the toms, when utilized, add some strikingly prominent detail – especially the low tom. “Witchstorm / Morbid Vendetta” is the newest effort from DEMONSLAUGHT 666, released in May of 2023, and serve as tastes of evolution from “Nekroslaughter Battlefield”. ‘Witchstorm’ features a main riff that violently chugs along with a high-speed palm-muted sixteenth note rhythm that trades off with hammer-on / pull-offs and tremolo-picked accents, complete with searing leads and occasional clean vocals – techniques not present in the band’s prior efforts. ‘Morbid Vendetta’ continues to highlight Paravoid’s vocal trade-off techniques by going from standard Black Thrash to extremely high falsetto style, to grossly artificial pitch-shifted low guttural accents. The song is not as densely packed as ‘Witchstorm’, as it begins with a slower more mid-tempo introduction phrase that allows that chunkiness of the picked bass work to really shine through. The production and mixing on “Witchstorm / Morbid Vendetta” are strikingly similar to “Nekroslaughter Battlefield”, but with more emphasis given to Paravoid’s vocal work, and with slightly less low end to the guitars. Both “Nekroslaughter Battlefield” and “Witchstorm / Morbid Vendetta” are absolutely worth checking out, and the strength of both releases combined has earned DEMONSLAUGHT 666 – and their home nation of China – a place in the global Thrash Metal scene. Any doubts can be dispelled through the raw power of tracks such as ‘Vipers Of The Night’, ‘Witchstorm’ and ‘Grave Knights From Tartarus’. For more DEMONSLAUGHT 666 information, check out www.facebook.com/demonslaught666. For more information on Iron, Blood And Death Corporation, see www.facebook.com/ibdc666.