Asphyx - Deathhammer review
| Band: | Asphyx |
| Album: | Deathhammer |
| Style: | Death metal |
| Release date: | February 27, 2012 |
| A review by: | Daniell |
01. Into The Timewastes
02. Deathhammer
03. Minefield
04. Of Days When Blades Turned Blunt
05. Der Landser
06. Reign Of The Brute
07. The Flood
08. We Doom You To Death
09. Vespa Crabro
10. As The Magma Mammoth Rises
11. Death The Brutal Way [bonus] [7' Version 2008]
12. Os Abysmi Vel Daath [Celtic Frost cover] [bonus] [7' Version 2008]
If you want to listen to an orchestra of drills, jackhammers and chainsaws with a grunting pig in the foreground, this is not an album for you. If you want a sterile surgery room sound that's soulless, completely flat and devoid of any feeling, colour or emotion, this is not an album for you. In other words, if you're a fan of "brutal" (notice the parentheses) death metal, Asphyx might not be the best thing to spend your allowance money on. (I put "brutal" in inverted commas because that ridiculous subgenre of metal is everything but brutal. Believe me, after a whole summer day spent in army boots my stinking socks are much more brutal and violent.)
Now that I have established how much I hate modern death metal and that I have made quote a few new enemies because of my views, I can rest in peace and proceed to tell you how great Deathhammer is.
What is it in those ancient death metal bands (minus Morbid Angel of course) that modern bands lack? Maybe if you started playing death metal in the 80's or 90's you acquired good taste that you have never lost afterwards? Maybe you just learned that composing songs entails such things as structure, melody and memorable riffs - a thing that modern day "musicians" have very little knowledge of?
Asphyx has all that. From the very first sounds of "Into the Timewaste" the listener is faced with everything that was great about death metal 20 years ago. It's crushing, it's clear, it's memorable. The tempos are reasonable, the riffs are memorable, the vocals are genuinely devastating. Martin Van Drunen has always been, and definitely still is, one of the best throats in all extreme music. Paired with an incredibly powerful guitar sound, he simply slays. As usual with Asphyx, the songs are either fast or very slow, bordering on doom metal. In both incarnations the band does a top notch job. The listener is never left with the feeling of pointlessness, every song is meaningful and leaves a lasting impression. The highlights are without doubt "Deathhammer" and "We Doom You to Death". The fast and the slow respectively. All that's great about Asphyx is in those 2 songs.
Look no further people. The death metal scene is unlikely to spawn a better album than Deathhammer this year. 99% of bands have no clue what it takes, so what can one expect anyway.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 9 |
 | Written on 24.03.2012 by Writes overly honest and totally subjective reviews when fancy strikes him. Which is not often. Which is probably good, all things considered. |
Comments
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Comments: 53
Visited by: 425 users
| BitterCOld The Ancient One Admin Posts: 15287  |
Just got it this week. haven't given it multiple spins yet, but i like it almost as much as "Death... The Brutal Way". that was my favorite DM album of that year, this will likely win 2012.
---- get the fuck off my lawn. Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306  |
Amazing album but I honestly didn't read past the first paragraph.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Dani5050 Posts: 76  |
Great album indeed but what kind of modern death metal do you hate? care to share some bands for example.
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| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13254  |
I think it is too easy to get sucked into the "untouchable" ways of "old school" death metal... Yes this album basically replicates a lot of old death metal... Yes, it is good... It's not amazing though. It is as good as far as primitive, doomy death metal can come... but it plays way too heavily on the reputation of the "old school" I think. Regardless, I think it is a good album. Worth a listen, but definitely not worth such a score.
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| BitterCOld The Ancient One Admin Posts: 15287 |
Written by [user id=20536] on 25.03.2012 at 09:00 in the parlance of our times... PWNT.
---- get the fuck off my lawn. Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
Written by Baz Anderson on 25.03.2012 at 07:04 And you go go bananas over Vallenfyre?  Talk about a bandwagon band playing way too heavily on the reputation of the "old school" at least Asphyx are the old school.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| R'Vannith ghedengi Elite Posts: 3099  |
"...unlikely to spawn a better album than Deathhammer this year". You obviously haven't heard the latest from Dyscarnate  This album is good, but get's a bit grating after a while, especially after repeated listens. Though I'm far from an avid death fan so maybe I should just shut my pie-hole. 
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6100  |
Written by R'Vannith on 25.03.2012 at 10:48 Like any other album, no matter how good, so no surprise here 
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6100 |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 25.03.2012 at 10:39 My thoughts exactly. Asphyx are a very old band who play their music as they played it 20 years ago and they can't be accused of any trend chasing.
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by R'Vannith on 25.03.2012 at 10:48 I have and find it immensely pedestrian and mediocre, and also by far not as much variation as on Deathhammer.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by Daniell on 25.03.2012 at 12:34 exactly, they are a band many bands try to copy and emulate. Asphyx do their own thing, the thing they have been doing since they started in 1987 (first demo in 1988). Btw only Bob Bagghus the drummer is the sole surviving orignal member.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| R'Vannith ghedengi Elite Posts: 3099 |
Written by Daniell on 25.03.2012 at 12:32 By 'grating' I mean it's begins to decline the more I listen, this, for me at least, doesn't always happen especially with a particularly good album. That's one of the qualities I look for in music, how long it can stay with you and whether it ever reaches a point where you think to yourself 'oh... really... this again?' Granted the 'decline' isn't very rapid with this album, a sign to me that it's pretty damn good.
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| R'Vannith ghedengi Elite Posts: 3099 |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 25.03.2012 at 12:38 Well I have no doubt I'm far from as seasoned in Death metal as you, you'll have to give me a bit of leniency there.  As far as comparisons go, I would agree Dyscarnate's latest isn't as varied, but I find it a little more engaging, and it's continues to be the more I listen.
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by R'Vannith on 25.03.2012 at 12:54 Tastes differ no matter how seasoned one is. I find Dyscarnate too modern sounding for my liking. And hence less engaging.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| R'Vannith ghedengi Elite Posts: 3099 |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 25.03.2012 at 13:04 Fair enough, judging by the review and Daniell's obvious dislike for that 'modern' sound he'd probably agree with you there. I suppose in retrospect there's not really that much point comparing the two though, this one's more of a bludgeoning doom/death whereas that one's nothing of the sort. I'm curious though what makes this one (or any death metal album for that matter) less 'modern', the production? They both sound like death to me, albeit of different kinds. I'm guessing perhaps the tone, this one sounds very.. I suppose grittier.
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374  |
Written by R'Vannith on 25.03.2012 at 13:15 I think the classic Asphyx sound of really REALLY rusty and crunchy chainsaw guitars is their true oldschool trademark sound which not only sets them apart from the current bands, but also from other old-school death metal bands as well.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Void Eater Account deleted |
Void Eater
Account deleted
Good album, agree with the rating, but this review basically read like 
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
Written by [user id=111774] on 25.03.2012 at 19:09 That bothered me too.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 25.03.2012 at 19:14 The majority of this thread reads like old men yelling.  I remember Marcel posted the lyrics to "Deathhammer" in the album thread... what a joke that was. I didn't realize musicians actually let Internet arguments fuel their lyrical content.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by [user id=111774] on 25.03.2012 at 19:19 My bad, I meant metal musicians.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 25.03.2012 at 19:17 I can almost imagine it. They said I'm in the la-la dimension since I didn't see drone in the equation young reviewer, what a fool Bitch doesn't know about doom.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| strade Posts: 677  |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 25.03.2012 at 19:21 Fixed that for you.
---- My lo-fi synth project: http://luciddreamer.bandcamp.com
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 25.03.2012 at 19:17 Actually it's the other way around These sort of arguments were already rife in fanzines long before the Net existed
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| IronAngel Posts: 4880  |
Written by strade on 25.03.2012 at 20:11 And made an immature ass out of yourself. Congratulations. Anyway, this album. It's good. Not amazing, but solid enjoyable.
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
Written by IronAngel on 25.03.2012 at 20:50 A metal forum isn't complete without your classic moron saying that hip hop isn't music.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| strade Posts: 677 |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 25.03.2012 at 20:52 Haha, relax everybody. Just trying to lighten the mood.
---- My lo-fi synth project: http://luciddreamer.bandcamp.com
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| Slayer666 Posts: 2466  |
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