Band:	Dead Head
Album:	Shadow Soul
Style:	Thrash metal
Release date:	March 2024

01. Lithany Of The Weak
02. Serpents Of Fame
03. Caverns Of Fate
04. Defiance
05. The Age Of Hype
06. The Run
07. Oppulent Disruption
08. Dark Emptiness

A marriage of bludgeoning death metal and blistering thrash metal at its finest.

Dead Head are Dutch veterans who've been in the business since 1989. Specifically, the two guitarists Robbie Woning and Ronnie Van Der Weij, along with drummer Hans Spijker, have been jamming it out since the founding of the band, releasing with 2024's Shadow Soul their eighth studio album. Since 2008, the band's vocal and bass duties are performed by Ralph De Boer, who some might know as a current member of the Dutch death metal band Bodyfarm.

Together, these musicians create a hyper aggressive combination of death metal and thrash metal. The frenzied thrash side of their music evokes memories of Slayer, Morbid Angel, and Kreator, whereas the heavier death metal side is reminiscent of Asphyx and Memoriam. Yet, while Dead Head’s style sounds at times very familiar, they never seem like a direct clone of any of those aforementioned bands, providing a rather unique sound overall.

The vocals on Shadow Soul are a vile blending of grating rasps, devilish yelps, and slimy growls, adding a fittingly filthy element to complement the ferocious musicianship. There are also a few moments in which the singing veers into a tough, hardcore-like delivery on some songs like “Serpents of Fame”. The album primarily maintains a breakneck pace, initiated by the great opener “Litany Of The Weak”, demonstrating galloping, charging riffs that provide an enjoyable addictive energy throughout the tracklist. With songs like “The Age Of Hype” and “Oppulent Disruption”, Dead Head craft an unforgiving tornado of rapid-fire riffs and wailing guitar solos.

But it's not all mindlessly fast-paced. Sometimes there is slower, doom-inspired death metal guitar-work like on “Caverns Of Fate”. There are also two purely instrumental tracks on Shadow Soul. The first, “Defiance”, provides some chunky riffs along with an audio sample backdrop of violent riots. But this interlude is nothing in comparison to the ominous yet elegant concluding track titled “Dark Emptiness”. After all that whirlwind of aggression, the shift to such a beautifully tranquil and subtly unnerving piece of music is a surprisingly bold move. Yet they pull it off effortlessly, and, just from this small instrumental track, the band have gained even more respect from me.

In conclusion, Dead Head’s Shadow Soul is a very entertaining batch of fast-paced and relentless extreme metal, combining the best elements of death and thrash metal. This album grabs your attention and doesn't let go, from the first wave of distorted guitar riffs to the final ebb of unsettling ambience. Shadow Soul is definitely the best thrash metal I've heard so far in 2024. And with Dead Head sounding this fresh and evil more than 30 years into their career, I can't wait to discover what they'll come up with next.