ALBUM REVIEW: Death Rattle – Desert Storm
Oxford’s heroic saviours of the underground arrive in the form of DESERT STORM, who are back with their newest creation, the mythical beast known as Death Rattle. By definition, death rattle refers to an individual who is in a weakened state, or in and out of consciousness. In this instance you can rest assured that you’ll be fully conscious for this experience and rather than leaving you weak this record will grab you by the shoulders, shake you and give you the courage to smash through the week with a groove in your step and a sudden adrenaline boost.
Opening with Master Of None, an infectious groove instantly has you hooked within the first bar. The drums and bass perfectly accent the root notes before all syncing in as one body of sound. The gritty vocals shine through in this track alongside the prog-styled riffs and aggressive punchy attitude of the drums. Whether it’s the crisp, jagged bass tone that slices its way through or the Maynard-esque vocal melodies of Cheyne Stoking, perhaps the TREMONTI-styled intro of Bad Trip or the face-melting Druid’s Heath; DESERT STORM have proven once more why they remain one of Oxford’s finest.
Salt Of The Earth proceeds to reign us in with a Western-style acoustic riff, and as the drums kick in it has that droney doom metal feel before amping up the groove when it goes full electric. The guitar’s clean tone during the bridge however is luscious as ever, reminiscent of a tone often used by BREAKING BENJAMIN in the early to mid-00s era of rock, particularly when arpeggiated in that way towards the end.
As we progress, it’s the fluid sway of riffs in Insomniac to the ambient ethereal reality of its bridge that cut back to the rampant drive that makes for some of the best songwriting presented by this band. It captivates you and keeps you in this eternal loop, lost in the middle of it all. The vocal display in this track shows the versatility between both the raspy tones and the harsher, almost thrash-styled bellow, never launching into full screams but having that mature sound that is often rare to come by.
And as we reach the final stop there’s a New Dawn; if there was ever a song to perfectly capture the essence of the phrase, “a new day is dawning” it would be this. You can almost picture this being featured alongside an 80s war zone film featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger; a perfect balance between the subtle drone of the acoustic guitar and the hopeful burst of the electric. The addition of maracas and bongo drums fills the space and adds an interesting dynamic without overcrowding, closing the record out on a delightful note.
DESERT STORM rarely fail to write tracks that are catchy in every sense; from the crisp bass lines to the groove/doom aspects of their melodic riffs, to being smacked in the face with a chorus and the constant power behind the kit whether it be fast-paced or slow, and, of course, a never ending drone in the background. It remains a signature sound of DESERT STORM, setting them apart from other bands in the scene and they never fail to thrive in their true nature. This is DESERT STORM at their very best, as if we expected any less.
Rating: 9/10
Death Rattle is out now via APF Records.
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