ALBUM REVIEW: The Chosen One – Destrage

At the point of writing a fifth full-length album, any band should be expected to have discovered their comfort zone, and understand what makes them tick. However, having released so much music in the past, some bands can find themselves in somewhat of a creative dry spell at this belated point in their career. Desperate to avoid becoming stagnant in their wisdom, DESTRAGE have opted to bypass the obvious and whip up an album chock full of astute mastery and sharp-witted finesse. Feeling predominantly like a hybrid amalgamation of PERIPHERY and EVERY TIME I DIE, they have combined technical gumption with frenzied insanity to cook up The Chosen One, the fifth record set to join their already glittering discography.

The fuse that sets the album ablaze is title track The Chosen One, starting out with a lush, single guitar display that confidently grows into metallic mayhem. This song is quick, rattling along as DESTRAGE begin to showcase their remarkable playing ability. Fans of their previous work won’t be shocked by this, but immediately they feel tighter than ever. We are given the impression that the shackles are truly off as they scrawl their own signature across ominous soundscape. About That changes the dynamic slightly, but does nothing to dampen the splendour. As the solos skydive, they free-fall beneath a canopy of glitzy guitar, tumbling endlessly in a maze of wandering riffs and technical wizardry. DESTRAGE locked themselves away for a year to write The Chosen One, which speaks for the intricacy on display.

It isn’t easy to employ such technical musicianship and leave space for a rock-solid vocal performance, but DESTRAGE seem to be amongst the rare breed that can. Tracks like Hey, Stranger! manage to skirt the expected and utilise writing methods that simply should not work, allowing soaring clean vocals and maniacal screams to mould into the lunacy. On paper there is too much going on, and yet everything slots seamlessly into place. It would take some seriously strong willpower not to headbang as the gargantuan breakdown plays out the track. Perhaps one of the album’s most exciting attributes is the endless mélange of sonic approach. DESTRAGE certainly aren’t afraid to mix it up. Take Mr. Bugman for example. Not only is it crushingly heavy, but it carries a haunting quality as well, blanketing the record in a cloak of spookiness. It’s not that it feels uncomfortable, but it is a good example of the peculiar aura the album possesses. Perhaps the correct description would be ‘eccentric’.

Rage, My Alibi is the track most far removed from the rest of the record’s spiralling approach. Hulking riffs joust with blistering solos to provide a canvas on which distorted vocals sit, before concluding in a pulsing electronic-tinged throb. Headache and Crumbs actually sounds like a migraine. Frenetic, pummelling and difficult to pinpoint exactly what is going on, it feels like the blinding pain behind your eyes that just won’t shift. Yet it isn’t intimidating, instead it’s dizzyingly enjoyable, sucking in the unsuspecting listener like a black hole by aid of impossibly quick fretwork and thundering drums.

DESTRAGE haven’t done an awful lot wrong with The Chosen One, but as we reach the final track The Gifted One, it’s hard not to feel as though it’s over too quickly. Another song or two could have been the icing on the cake, but we all know that quality is better than quantity. And thankfully, the album finishes on a high. A calm, measured intro breaks into a wall of tremolo guitar work and as the track continues to rise and fall through various states of speed and heaviness, it leaves us wistfully longing for more. Hitting repeat would be the best option, as there is plenty of detail to unravel in each track to warrant multiple listens.

Pulling out all the stops and ignoring all preconceptions is a bold move, but the bravery DESTRAGE have shown in writing The Chosen One has paid in their favour. 2019 will see them tour the album with the likes of MESHUGGAH and PROTEST THE HERO, and its calibre will allow them to stand shoulder to shoulder with such giants.

Rating: 9/10

The Chosen One is set for release May 24th via Metal Blade Records. 

Like DESTRAGE on Facebook.