(Here’s Todd Manning‘s review of a new EP from the Salt Lake band Deathblow.)
It’s a bit baffling to me that the word ‘crossover’ does not appear a single time in the press release for the latest E.P. from Salt Lake City-based Deathblow because that’s exactly what kind of damage they’re dealing out. Rotten Trajectory spewed forth into this decaying world on September 29th, courtesy of the appropriately monikered Sewer Mouth Records.
For the youth not familiar with the term crossover, it was used to describe that late eighties-early nineties blend of punk and thrash characterized by acts such as D.R.I., Crumbsuckers, and early Excel. Deathblow tread similar territory but update their sound with a smidge of death metal brutality.
The title track kicks off the affair and utilizes a d-beat that would make early Europeans such as Anti-Cimex and Aus Rotten proud, but there is also a lot of Slayer bleeding into the war-like anthem. There’s gang-vocals in the chorus and shredding guitar solos and a nice bass break to give the whole thing a great old school flavor. At less than three minutes in length, the song hits like a surgical strike.
“Pounder” follows and is a bit more thrash-like in delivery but it’s no less brutal. Think early Dark Angel shot through with Slayer’s “War Ensemble”. But the break leans more into D.R.I. territory, and one can picture the circle pits and skateboards with no issue.
The E.P. concludes with “In Plain Sight” and this song certainly keeps the intensity level high. Once again, they find a middle ground between Slayer and D.R.I. in the alternating verses and chorus, but I daresay I hear a bit of Anthrax in the twin-guitar harmony right before the breakdown. Before the guitar solo, the harmonies skirt against Iron Maiden territory before the leads bring things home.
Goddamn I love E.P.’s. Rotten Trajectory is in and out before you know it, but you can also easily listen to this ten-minute release a few times in a row and really get to know the songs. They may not be breaking any new ground, but Deathblow are killing it and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next.
https://deathblow1.bandcamp.com/album/rotten-trajectory
https://www.facebook.com/deathblowofficial/