This is what I call courageous… Back in the mid eighties nobody would probably have given a shit about DIVINE:DECAY as their Bay Area type Thrash Metal already got played by way too many other bands. And for obvious reasons there definitely wasn’t really a need for another bunch from Finland going for this style as well. But nowadays you hardly find any bands of this kind that are still around, as the market has changed pretty drastically, towards an overall more brutal and extreme approach. So, DIVINE:DECAY will either fail completely or might kick off a big revival of this genre. Musically the band already knows to impress right from the start. On "Songs Of The Damned" they deliver ten really tight played and very well produced own compositions that come up with all the necessary little bits and pieces, like for instance the raw, yet kinda melodic lead vocals, the shouted backing vocals, speedy riffing, melodic leads and a driving rhythm section. Old farts like myself surely will get a kick out of it, even though the label’s promotional slogan "…the METALLICA "Kill ‘Em All" and "Ride The Lightning" of the new century…" is a little too far away from the actual truth, cause DIVINE:DECAY are still lacking too much in real standout tracks to be able to compete with those two all-time classics. And the modern looking coverart doesn’t really compliment the album too well either… But apart from that, this is definitely a very enjoyable and highly entertaining debut offering.