This has been a damn hard review to write. There is nothing particularly wrong with this album. It is a perfectly polished, tightly put together piece of thrash, bordering slightly into death metal. It gets off to a brilliantly heavy start, and mostly keeps that up for the entire album. You can’t fault technicality here, it’s a well put together record. Dew Scented’s lineup has had a huge mix-up since their last album, this being their ninth, and anyone worried about the effect this would have on the band… well read the above.
The reason this review is hard, is that… well it’s all so instantly forgettable. The entire album blends together, sadly not due to clever purpose but by the incredible similarity between all the songs. I’ve listened to this record a fair few times, and I would not bet heavily on being able to tell you which track was which. And it’s this flaw that leads to the ultimate verdict on this record: it’s dull. Not for lack of talent, not for lack of effort. Which is a shame, as it’s a result that is a far bigger loss than a misguided experiment in style. It’s just soulless.
There are songs that stand out… a little bit at least. It may be better to say they sit up straighter. I’ll give generous shout outs to “Sworn To Obey” and “By My Own Hand”, but even these get lost and the sheer mediocrity of the record as a whole. They don’t do enough to stand out in their own right. And it’s damn shame, as this band is capable of much, much more.
If you are a Dew Scented die-hard fan, there’s arguably a lot here that you’d enjoy. You may have more patience than I for this record, though I sincerely doubt anyone is going to put it at the top of their output. If you are in desperate need of a dose of thrash metal, you could do worse. You could also do a lot, lot better.
By David Lamb
5/10
