Desaster: Deadly Sinners
Despite boasting a track record dating almost as long as heavy metal itself, black thrash has enjoyed a period in the spotlight once more in recent years. Thanks to the booming revival spear-headed by the likes of MIDNIGHT and HELLRIPPER, black thrash feels much relevant in metal’s ongoing resurgence today than it may have done in years prior. Whilst the revival can largely be accredited to this new wave of talent making their mark, DESASTER have always had a major say in ensuring that the genre remains alive and kicking. Since forming in 1988, the German outfit have always remained at the forefront of the sub-genre, releasing consistently strong material and boasting devilishly excellent live performances to boot.
“Absolutely,” drummer Hont quips when we enquire about the health of black thrash in 2021. “There are a lot of great new bands in the metal scene. However, we haven’t noticed anything about a big revival. A revival means that something was gone, but that was never the case for us.”
Indeed that is the case for DESASTER. Consistency is arguably one of the defining characteristics for this band, both in their presence on the scene and in the material they offer as well. Never one to divert from their established formula, the track record from the band (despite a carousel of changing personnel over the years) has been incredibly impressive. This is evident in Churches Without Saints, the band’s ninth full-length record. Arriving after a five year wait since 2016’s excellent The Oath Of An Iron Ritual, these large gaps between releases is nothing new to the DESASTER camp, in fact, it seems something of a regular occurrence. But are these lengthy periods between releases something planned? Quite the opposite in fact.
“This is not a planned time period,” Hont remarks. “But it is true, somehow this always seems to be the case. It must feel right to write songs. When we feel like it we start writing new songs. These are then of course subject to our strict internal control! [laughs]. We all go to full-time work. The band is purely a hobby. We don’t use the time between albums for anything in particular. Rehearsing, drinking beer and playing live.”
It’s refreshing to hear Hont remark that the essence of the band still very much remains as it was when DESASTER first formed over three decades ago. Despite only joining the band in 2018, the DNA and mission objective of the band remains the same (“I tried to incorporate my style without of course changing the DESASTER DNA. I’ve always been a fan of the band!”); high-octane riffing and a passion for creating devilishly delicious heavy metal with like-minded people. That DNA bleeds effortlessly on Churches Without Saints. Learn To Love The Void oozes that heavy metal spirit whilst only the sternest of metal purists could refrain from exhibiting a Cheshire cat grin to the adrenaline-surging Primordial Obscurity.
Of course, with such seasoned veterans in the band’s ranks and their core ethos remaining at the forefront of their motives, for Hont, being part of the creative process for Churches Without Saints is an experience in which he relished. “Songwriting always results from a feeling. It was really easy for us this time. But of course there are always moments where you question riffs. The one or other time we have already caught ourselves while copying. If we notice something like that, we usually leave the riff out,” he explains. “When we’re in the right flow, we’re good at it. Otherwise we wouldn’t release albums anymore. That’s the good thing about DESASTER: we don’t have to do anything for business reasons.”
Throughout our time with Hont, one thing has been absolutely clear, DESASTER do not have care or desire to pander and negotiate their way to the top of the heavy metal tree for the sake of it being good business. “We play what we love. Whether that evolves has no relevance for us.” A fitting conclusion from Hont. Staying true to those unholy riffs first unleashed all those years ago, DESASTER are the embodiment of living and breathing that rebellious and underground heavy metal spirit. Black thrash may be surging in popularity at present, but as long as they have the fire in their collective bellies, there will be DESASTER. Long live these deadly sinners.
Churches Without Saints is out now via Metal Blade Records.
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