Band:	Down Among The Dead Men
Album:	.​.​.​And You Will Obey Me
Style:	Crust punk, Death metal
Release date:	June 2018

01. Destroy The Infinite
02. Axis Of Insanity
03. ...And You Will Obey Me
04. The End Of Time
05. Omega
06. House Of Blue Fire
07. The Age Of Steel
08. Eye Of Harmony
09. Darkness Of Glass
10. Panopticon

At the record store (yes, they still do exist):

- I'd like some old-school death metal, please.
- Do you want some crust with that?
- Mmm? yes, as a matter of fact I do.
- You're in luck then because we happen to have the latest release by Down Among The Dead Men!

This is a band combining nostalgic death metal with crust punk and the brainchild of former Benediction and Bolt Thrower vocalist, Dave Ingram and guitarist and bass player Rogga Johansson. The latter has been part of so many bands over the years that if I start namedropping, I will soon reach the maximum number of words for a review.

?And You Will Obey Me is the third full-length of Down Among The Dead Men and in this album they have not made any significant changes to neither their sound nor their scope compared to the first two releases. And why should they? Their aggressive melting pot of nasty Swedish riffs combined with dirty UK crust punk is as appealing as you expect it to be. If you are a newcomer, imagine Motörhead and Bolt Thrower playing Discharge songs.

From the head-bludgeoning opener, "Destroy The Infinite" to the neck-wrecking closer, "Panopticon", you get a punkish mix of grindcore, d-beat, and quick-paced death metal rooted in the 1990s and aptly delivered through ten short, direct and insidious songs. In just half an hour the band delivers not just insane riffs ("Omega"), but also inspired and melodic leads, especially in two of the album's highlights, "The End Of Time" and "The Age Of Steel". And if you are in the mood for dancing then try my personal death 'n' roll favourite, "Darkness Of Glass", which sounds as if a Dave Ingram-fronted Motörhead decided to give Morphine's "Honey White" a brutal makeover; it doesn't get cooler than that.

The album may come across as one-dimensional and quite frankly it is but, for the most part, the music in it overcompensates for the lack of variety. Performance-wise, apart from the band's two big names the other two session musicians also give it their all and I personally can't explain why Erik Bevenrud is still a session drummer after three albums.

?And You Will Obey Me is a focused and sincere effort, made with genuine death metal ingredients by two of the style's most prolific stalwarts and one that Dave and Rogga can be proud of.

Listen here. I won't ask twice.

"This deadly assassin - Never a slave
I am the Master - And you will obey"