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By JEFF MAKI
Metal Blade's new champions of extreme metal are Destroy Destroy Destroy. Sure, the name, the band's Viking/black metal image and lyrics about medieval warfare may be outright ridiculous. But after one listen to Devour The Power, metal fans will have evil, shit-eating grins on their faces.
With their dragon-slaying, high-pitched vocals, metal-as-fuck guitars and double-bass drumming, Destroy Destroy Destroy is reminiscent at times of 3 Inches of Blood. But while 3 Inches of Blood sometimes comes across as comical, the same cannot be said for Destroy Destroy Destroy. This Murfreesboro, Tenn., band is out to rule and conquer all in its path. With two guitarists and a keyboardist accompanying the mostly screeching wails of Bryan Kemp, the band appears to have been raised on a steady diet of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Scandinavian metal such as In Flames and At the Gates. The material is dynamic, with blast beats, breakdowns, shout-along choruses and memorable songwriting. The keyboards add an epic element, further separating the band from its competition. The album's theme and lyrics seem to be based on some sort of war, possibly against orcs or dragons. On multiple occasions, we hear scenes from this ongoing war in the background.
"Hang the Vermin" starts this opus with a majestic opening and quickly turns into a 100-mph black metal anthem. "Gods of War and Open Sores" begins with a Priest-like riff backed by keys and guitar divebombs, keeping it's mid-paced tempo until the keyboards explode into a solo at the end. The pounding "Ripped Apart by the Juggernaut" and the lightning-fast assault and spoken words of "Battle Cry" are about as metal as you can get. Kemp’s varying vocal style is similar to Cradle of Filth's Dani. On "The Beast That Cannot Be Fed," the band drives its relentless riff and double-bass blasts straight through your head. "Seduced by the Locracian Temptress" is on par with older In Flames or At the Gates, showcasing the band's talent for melodic death metal. "Hellfire" seems to be the band's anthem, with ‘80s-metal-inspired riffs and lyrics repeatedly telling us, "We've come to raise the fire and rape your souls. We've come to raise the fire and take back what you stole." It all ends with the chant of the song's name, "Hellfire" - Now that is fucking metal.
Destroy Destroy Destroy’s material is outrageous but also diverse. It should give them the ability to win over many metal fans. Devour the Power is such a strong and impressive debut release, one wonders how the band will ever top this. The band also presents a more-metal-than-metal stage show, complete with leather, bullet belts and Kemp in a G-string and gauntlets.
Bottom line: Destroy Destroy Destroy is fucking metal, metal, metal!
www.destroydestroydestroy.com
myspace.com/destroydestroydestroy
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