ALBUM REVIEW: Dead World Order – Bitterness
Thrash is the meat and potatoes of metal at large. Most times, if you have the basics: heavy, crunchy guitars, solid riffs mixed with some intricate solo work, a thudding rhythm section, and vocals with some gravitas, then you’re usually in store for a good time. German old school thrash metal trio BITTERNESS are back with their first album in five years, Dead World Order, and though the album ticks most of these boxes at one point or another, they also play around with some other unexpected sounds for a thrash band. There’s a bit of metalcore and melodeath influence on this record, which is interesting at first listen, but ultimately, the record falls short of its potential.
Intro track The Last Sunrise is a light and lilting little guitar piece in the vein of METALLICA’s famous soft beginnings, and it leads right into the thunderous A Bullet a Day. It’s clear right from the hop that instrumentally, BITTERNESS are here to play and they’re firing on all cylinders. There’s a big circle pit riff right away, and the attack from these guys sounds great. Thomas Kneer on bass and Andreas Kiechle on drums are pulverising. There’s nothing particularly flashy, but it doesn’t need to be, as they know their role and are in the pocket on Dead World Order from start to finish. And the guitar work from front man Frank Urschler is spot on. It’s a perfect thrash tone: crunchy and thick, and for the most part, he can craft a nice riff. However from this first vocal track arises one of the main issues with the album: vocals. Urschler’s voice lies in middle ground where, for a good deal of time on the record, he neither has the powerful bark or growl needed for powerful thrash vocals. Many times he enters this upper register where all the power is sucked from his voice and it often sounds like higher pitched talking or a bit of a squeaky yell, which unfortunately takes away from what’s happening instrumentally.
Title track Dead World Order has a doomy vibe to it throughout as it takes a stomping approach, but also immediately spotlights another sticking point on this album. The lyrics don’t strike as anything particularly special. “The world is a big piece of shit, but we don’t want to deal with it.” Perhaps it’s in the delivery as much as the words, but nothing jumps out lyrically on this record in a way that’s hooky or memorable. It’s perfectly fine most times, but there’s nothing a bit deeper to pull away and think about.
Idiocracy starts with some very nice melo-death tinged guitar harmonies that reappear as a motif in the song and some cavernous double bass blitzing. It’s mosh city as the frantic tempo picks up and Urschler shows his riff skills with some classic thrash sensibility. Again, the playing is great and headbanging ensues with almost every track, but his vocals just suck you out multiple times throughout and breaks the groove the album is trying to establish. Let God Sort ‘Em Out shows the band’s nods to their forefathers with the title being the other half of METALLICA’s famous Kill ‘Em All phrase. Again, the guitar sounds great as Urschler rips it up with some fantastic galloping riffs that will surely keep the heads banging as it transitions to straight up pummelling as the song progresses. It’s a strong track that manages to transcend its flaws and is certainly a highlight.
Forward into the Past is pretty much standard thrash fare. It’s not as memorable as some other tracks on the record, but, instrumentally, it’s still a rager and feature some really cool harmony licks and a wicked harmonic solo that steals the show at the end. However, Blood Feud is the star of the album. Far and away the best track, the creeping intro leads into a kick in that sounds just like the kick in from …And Justice For All. The riffs on this track are absolutely massive. If you don’t start pitting to this one, you need to check yourself, and Urschler’s voice sounds the best it does on the entire album. He really digs deep and hits it like a sledgehammer with both vocal and guitar tone. His shrieks sound really good here, and the tempo mix ups keep the track interesting let the track breathe and roar back to life.
Unfortunately, the last two tracks don’t keep up. None More Black actually takes a metalcore approach on guitar and has some neat tremolo melodies but doesn’t really stand out much at all. And for the final track, the instrumental Darkest Times, the message and feeling of what BITTERNESS is trying to get across isn’t really received. It’s just a bit bland from start to finish aside from some good guitar leads towards the end of the track.
BITTERNESS can play, that much is evident. Their musicianship is never in question once throughout this record, and while some tracks stand out less than others, every one shows that these guys know their instruments and they know how to craft an excellent thrash sound with great dynamics. However, the lyricism and, for the most part, the vocals, detract from Dead World Order and take away some of that power the band builds in their playing.
Rating: 5/10
Dead World Order is set for release May 15th via G.U.C.
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