Slaughterday is a monster of productivity.
Just a few months after the release of their latest EP, the duo Jens Finger (guitar/bass, Temple of Dread) and Bernd Reiners (vocals/drums, ex-BK 49) unveil their sixth album, Dread Emperor, on Testimony Records.
Enthroned quickly sets the tone: the album Dread Emperor reeks of Old School Death Metal right down to the riffs, displaying that heavy slowness that makes the harmonics epic, then Obliteration Crusade suddenly picks up the pace and welcomes Bernd‘s first rage-filled roars. Every moment of this track is dedicated to violence, whether fast and furious or heavier and more oppressive, skillfully alternating between the two approaches as it announces the accelerations, then returning to a very steady sound for Rapture of Rot, whose introduction will delight fans of the style. The blast that follows is solid, but we also note the elaborate solo before a new wave of violence, leaving the guitar in the spotlight when necessary. Astral Carnage then takes over with a similar approach that would loosen the neck of a dead man or, on the contrary, plunge us into the grave, so macabre are its leads. The band immediately follows up with Subconscious Pandemonium, a violent track that offers some very catchy groovy parts from time to time before delving into Death/Doom for the eponymous track Dread Emperor, which embraces its infernal slowness but also offers a nice acceleration to accompany the solo. Another disturbing intro with The Forsaken Ones, a fairly rhythmic composition that captures our attention and unleashes all its violence and piercing harmonics, while Necrocide starts with a short solo before striking, always giving his guitar a chance to shine. The rhythm section adopts catchy Death’n’Roll touches for Dethroned, creating moments where headbanging is mandatory, but also others where we simply savor the anguished touches before moving on to Golem, a cover of the German band Protector that retains all its madness in the leads, but also its effectiveness in the riffs, making it a perfect closing track.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, Slaughterday is rising in the death metal scene, and it’s well deserved! There are no missteps on Dread Emperor, the album unpacks riff after riff and makes no compromises.
90/100
