The world is small. Since starting Dose of Metal, we’ve reviewed many albums. As the main reviewer on this site, I’ve reviewed bands from Denmark, Sweden, Slovenia, Chile, Mexico, Singapore, Great Britain, the United States of America and many more places. Never before have I gotten a request from a band that operates as close to me as Reckless Manslaughter do, though.
Reckless Manslaughter are from Oberhausen, Germany. I’m sure that doesn’t tell you much, but Oberhausen is a city that borders my hometown. It’s basically a two-minute drive from my home. I might have even crossed paths with one of the guys in one of our local metal clubs, without even knowing.
But, when it comes down to it, your hometown doesn’t interest me if your music isn’t any good. You won’t get a local-band-bonus from me. The only thing that interests me when I’m writing a review, is quality. Make the jump to find out if Storm Of Vengeance, Reckless Manslaughter‘s debut album, proves to be a quality release.
Reckless Manslaughter – Storm Of Vengeance
1. Nuclear Bunker Buster – 2:17
2. Atomic Aftermath – 2:55
3. Codename: Grable – 3:11
4. Ruthless Rampage – 3:30
5. The Defiler – 5:12
6. Everlasting Punishment – 3:06
7. Devastating Domination – 3:44
8. Jonathan the Hedgehog Killer – 4:01
9. Rude Awakening – 3:40
First things first. Storm Of Vengeance was mixed and mastered by none other than Dan Swanö, of Edge Of Sanity and Bloodbath fame. Swanö is featured on one song, ‘Devastating Domination.’ Also featured on this album are Klaus Spangenberg and Lars Zimmermann. I share my surname with one of them, but I won’t tell you which. Like I said in the intro, the world is small.
‘Nuclear Bunker Buster,’ the first song, starts off just like a Death Metal album should start off: brutal as fuck. The songs are, overall, pretty short. We’re talking about Death Metal short, not Grindcore short. The songs are long enough to paint a picture though, they don’t sound unfinished or anything.
After two similarly heavy and fast songs, ‘Codename: Grable’ comes along, and it’s rather soft and melodic, without losing any of its darkness. After about fifty seconds, the song takes a turn into one of the heaviest songs on the album. You get a lot of groove, and the band displays their flexibility. Reckless Manslaughter aren’t one-trick ponies.
The vocals are mostly half-screamed/half-growled, with some very deep growls, high-pitched screams, and pig-squeals used to support certain songparts. The vocals just gel extremely well with the instrumentals. The music itself is pretty fast, with a couple of groove passages here and there. Overall, I’d call the music displayed on this album Brutal Death Metal.
On their Facebook page, the band cites Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus, and Morbid Angel as some of their influences. You can definitely hear that, and I mean it as a compliment.
Some of the songs, especially ‘Everlasting Punishment,’ are potential undergound hits. This particular song features a chorus that reminds me of early Debauchery. It contains a catchy shout-along chorus that should work very well in a live environment. Another song that should work well live is ‘Devastating Domination,’ the Dan Swanö track. It even turns punky halfway through.
All in all, I don’t have a whole lot to complain about. The biggest con, I have to say, is the absence of guitar solos. The songs work without them but, at times, I was missing that icing on the cake. Storm Of Vengeance is a very strong debut either way, and I’m saying that without the local-band-bonus, but with a bit of local pride.
