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(7/10), (8/10), (8/10) German thrash metal from the mid 80's seems to have a revival these days. Bands like Exumer and Accuser released new longplayers during the last couple of years, the eight first Kreator records have been re-issued as being part of the 'Noise lebt!' campaign and now it's Deathrow that gets back on the radar.
Deathrow started as Samhain in 1984. Milo, Thomas Priebe, Sven Flügge and Markus Hahn recorded a first demo in 1985 and one year later the debut was complete. At the same time the band changed name from Samhain to Deathrow, mainly due to Glenn Danzig's band with the same name.
"Riders of Doom" is the first album from the Ruhrpott-based quartet and it was originally released as "Satan's Gift". Even though Deathrow stood in the mighty shadow of bands like Kreator, Sodom and Destruction, the debut was highly acclaimed by fans. The quartet stood for authentic thrash metal that was raw and rough around the edges. The album achieved a cult status in the metallic underground and was more than just a decent result of hard work. In addition to this merciless aggressiveness Deathrow's sound included quite impressive guitar work with furious leads and solos. Songs like "Riders of Doom" and "Satans Gift" are still well crafted Teutonic thrash metal tracks that didn't loose any power over the last three decades. The re-issue of the album also includes some extras in the form of three demo songs and three songs from the rehearsal room.
(7/10)
Tracklist:
- Winds Of Death
- Satan’s Gift
- Riders Of Doom
- Hell’s Ascent
- Spider Attack
- Slaughtered
- Violent Omen
- Dark Tales
- Samhain
Bonus Tracks
- Hell’s Ascent (demo)
- Samhain (demo)
- Riders Of Doom (demo)
- Night of The Wolf (rehearsal)
- Run (rehearsal)
- Screams of Pain (rehearsal)
The sophomore album, "Raging Steel", followed twelve months later and showcased a band that developed sound and musical skills. Still being as unpolished as the debut "Raging Steel" came with improved song writing and a better production. Songs like two parts of "Scattered by the Wind" are thrash metal anthems from the underground, built on influences of bands like Possessed. As with "Riders of Doom" also the second longplayer includes some extra songs - in this case demo tracks and a live version of "Yigael's Wall".
(8/10)
Tracklist:
- The Dawn
- Raging Steel
- Scattered By The Wind (Part 1)
- Scattered By The Wind (Part 2)
- Dragon’s Blood
- The Thing Within
- Pledge To Die
- Mortal Dread
- The Undead Cry
- Beyond The Light
Bonus Tracks
- Intro (demo)
- Slaughtered (demo)
- Violent Omen (demo)
- Riders Of Doom (demo)
- Samhain (demo)
- Yigael’s Wall (live)
The triple of releases gets completed by Deathrow's "Deception Ignored". The longplayer was released in 1989 and marks the last album the thrash powerhouse unleashed for Noise Records. Even though Deathrow's sound is still built on thrash the third longplayer shows a big step forward when it comes to songwriting and complexity. The raw and harsh sounds of the debut evolved to a progressive metal album that finds a peak in "Narcotic", which is a 9 minutes progressive epos that impressive with complex sound structures and intricate elements. This album includes just a single bonus track, which is the so far unreleased "Bureaucracy" which comes from the recording session for "Deception Ignored"
These three longplayers made Deathrow to a legendary underground band from Germany and the re-issues make the albums available for fans of 80's thrash metal.
(8/10)
Tracklist:
- Events In Concealment
- The Deathwish
- Triocton
- N.L.Y.H.
- Watching The World
- Narcotic
- Machinery
Bonus Track
- Bureacrazy