DEADSOIL - The Venom Divine

DEADSOIL
The Venom Divine
Lifeforce Records
8.5/10





Simply put, Deadsoil's latest slab of vehement metalcore, 'The Venom Divine' will leave battered, bruised and thoroughly pummeled as this upstart band from the Deutschland offer up ten savage tracks of hard hitting metalcore action. 'Helvete' sets a caliginous tone for this dark, brooding record which moves along like a steamroller, each track gaining further forcefulness as the album thrashes along. When these guys play live, it has to be nothing but a massive mosh pit as the riffs contained herein would entice even the most timid of headbangers to throw a few elbows around.

Boris Pracht and Jens Basten make for a formidable guitar team, overpowering you with thick, chunky strikes and a tightness that proves Deadsoil are a very well rehearsed ensemble. Everything is very tight and compressed on this well produced platter. This makes for a precision attack when Deadsoil really let loose with a bludgeoning rhythm such as on the driving song 'The Promise'.

The vibe of the material is completely aggro and singer Friedrich Weber really knows how to tear into the microphone like a wounded beast. 'Enemies Will Suffer' he provides the listener with a classic sounding hardcore blast while on 'Demon's Hands', Weber removes a bit of the gruff nature from his vocalizations, instead opting for a more tuneful, traditional performance that shows his well rounded vocal influences and emphasizes the diverse nature of the band's songwriting.

Deadsoil keeps things as metal as hell despite their varied dynamics, always delivering their songs with a powerful, forceful nature that is upfront and weighty. Drummer Christian Bass provides a major thunder behind the drum kit, lashing out with intense bass pounding and tight, punchy fills. He locks in tightly with bassist Stefan Eutebach on 'Despise The Logic', providing a monstrous, booming beat that is atypical of a solid metal and hardcore hybrid. This ten-ton backdrop offers an extraordinary canvas upon which Weber lays down his vocal venom and the axe couplet fashion sharp, tearing licks bent on complete sonic annihilation.

Undoubtedly one of the predominant German deathcore exports, on 'The Venom Divine', Deadsoil proves to be in no way a band encapsulated by trends and fashion, but a dominating force in the metal world set to destroy American audiences with their high-impact, gargantuan riffage and rhythms.


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