A review of Deceptor “Reign of Terror”

 

Deceptor

“Reign of Terror”

Dying Victims Prod. 2026

 

Bloody hell, what a punch! Just imagine: a bunch of lads from Raleigh, North Carolina, decided to play some old-school thrash metal. They picked up their instruments and, as the old rule dictates, recorded a demo first, then an EP, and now, under the wings of Dying Victims, a label exceptionally adept at unearthing young talent from the underground, they’re presenting to the world their full-length debut. Under a not particularly original name. After all, there are, or have been, at least a few Deceptors. With a rather banal title, and… rather banal music. Anyway, who would expect the German label to take on experimental bands? Probably no one familiar with their catalogue. ‘Reign of Terror’ is just over half an hour of music in ten chapters. Ladies and gentlemen, what a marvellous blend of all the best elements of old-school thrash metal, with a light sprinkling of death metal influences it is! I’m on my knees in an instant. The opening riff alone is a vivid reminder of S.O.D.’s debut, a slap in the face to get your attention, as if the guys were saying, “Hey! Don’t asleep over there, we’re about to kick ass!” And they really do. With such energetic, high-octane thrash that your head just wants to mosh. And that goes for both the faster tracks and the slower ones, where the aggression is balanced out by the heaviness of the guitars. There isn’t a single chord here that doesn’t blow an old fart like me’s mind. Everything here is brilliant. The riffs themselves are classic in the vein of early Sepultura, Kreator, early Metallica, Coroner, and even Nocturnus (particularly in the solos and certain vocal and guitar lines). And that drumming, usually in the simplest, most uncomplicated way, is pure poetry. It’s heavily influenced by the ’80s and ’90s, and sounds exactly like it. If someone told me this material was recorded thirty-five years ago, I’d genuinely believe it! Vocally, we’re in more death than thrash metal territory, and the singing style itself is somewhat ‘barking’. On the subject of vocals, it’s worth noting that the band don’t cram them in wherever they can. A few tracks, usually shorter than the rest, are instrumentals. Or semi-instrumentals, like the final, absolutely mind-blowing ‘Corpse Corps’. A track where the only sung words are those in the title, after which Deceptor hits you right in the face with a solo that leaves you for dead. I’d give my right arm for albums like this, based on tried-and-tested formulas, yet so incredibly catchy. An absolute killer!

- jesusatan