DEATHHAMMER "Electric Warfare"
By Dr. Abner Mality
Been a while since we've heard from these maniacs. They are one of the earliest and most authentic of the retro thrash bands, sounding very much like they could have emerged during the first wave of German thrash metal.
Expect no major changes here, as they retain that crazed, nostalgic sound. Apparently much of the material here dates back to the earliest days of the band and it shows. There's a combination of short but lethal speed screamers with longer, somewhat more epic songs. Strangely enough, I prefer the shorter tunes such as "Enter the Morbid", "Rapid Violence" and "Thirst for Ritual". They are just pure DESTRUCTION/KREATOR worship and nothing but...the directness is refreshing. The longer cuts like "Crushing the Pearly Gates" and "Violent Age of Bloodshed" are certainly not bad, but I found my attention wandering a bit. The "yelping dog" vocals, dry as dust production and dive bombing solos remain the standard DEATHHAMMER we all know and love. Yet I can't deny a certain feeling of going through the motions here...
No fan of oldschool German thrash should be disappointed with this, but the growth factor is absolute zero. Some will approve, the more discerning will wish for more...