Review: DEATHHAMMER – Electric Warfare

Year: 2022
Label: Hells Headbangers Records
Rating: 9/10

The best Thrash Metal band in the world has already reached the level of speed and intensity beyond which some other genre begins, and therefore on the new album allowed itself a small digression. I usually have an extremely negative attitude to such actions, since bands specializing in the most aggressive music simply have no right to spoil their heritage with obviously futile attempts to do something else. But DEATHHAMMER is one of my favorite bands for a reason; these guys may be alcoholics, but when it comes to metal, they have a refined and simply perfect sense of style. The only way to make changes to DEATHHAMMER's music and not ruin it is to strengthen the influence of what was originally in it, and in our case it is Heavy Metal.

Now DEATHHAMMER's frenzied guitar and drum attack is often interrupted by slightly more measured melodic fragments with a clear heavy metal influence. In part, these are solos and rhythmic segments characteristic of the genre. The updated mixture works very organically and has very little effect on the overall impression. Someone who has not listened to DEATHHAMMER very often before may not notice the difference at all until they hear the track "Return to Sodom / Soldiers of Darkness". To put it briefly, the Norwegians used to move forward wildly, incessantly and mercilessly, wiping their fingers to the bone and bashing their instruments into splinters, and now they make nods towards “Show No Mercy". And this, you know, is great - neither the dynamics nor the general mood have weakened in the slighthest.

And there's nothing more to say. The sound has improved a little, the cover is a little more fashionable... no one wants to break something that works fine. Press "Play" - and AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!!!!!!!!!!