Deathraid - Submit To The Will Of Chaos (2016 Reissue)

These insane Italians were active from '97 to '01 and are no longer together, but the only demo they've ever put out is being reissued somehow and I'm here to observe that. But first, let's talk a little bit about these guys. First, they were known for very obscene gigs, which caused them to be banned from several venues. They also spent all their money on drugs and alcohol and were known as thieves and burglars. They also used to cut each others arms before gigs and all sorts of other things. It's obvious that they were trying to be “extremely extreme” and it's a surprise that they're still among the living. In any case, the only real recording that we have from them has surfaced and it's a rather rough death/thrash album. It's not all that long, but it's all we're probably ever going to hear from the band that has been defunct for almost twenty years now and I'd hope that these guys are making better life choices in their later years. Folks, this shit may sound cool until it comes back to bite you in the ass. Be a musician, be an artist – not a fucking delinquent.

Pep talk out of the way, these guys had some pretty awesome shit to showcase. Wrathlord was an absolute madman on the kit, as Convulsion belted out lyrics as quickly as he could, with a noticeable ferocity. Susiak and Skum both knew their way around thrash and death metal, bringing in some killer riffs and Sarcofago influence, which also found it's way into their solos. There's a lot of Sarcofago worship on this disc and that's not a problem for me. You're getting an almost grindy performance sometimes due to just how punishing it is, and these guys really could have been something if they'd spent more time on their music instead of just trying to be fucking crazy. If you want a set of brass knuckles delivered right to your eardrums, then check out this chaotic mess of absolute mayhem. Speaking of Mayhem, it seems that they were an obvious influence on the band as well. But they didn't set anything on fire, so I guess they played it a lot safer than the Norwegian church burners (which Ridley Scott is set to make a move about now, how the times have changed) and have lived to see other musical acts. Deathraid is done for, but you can still hear Convulse in his newer project, the stoner/doom act Midryasi; and Susiak is now in death metallers Horrid. As for Wrathlord, his awesome drum skills continued in Clothes Of Death, DoomSword, Fury N Grace, Wotan and some former projects that he played in. It's good to see that these guys survived those crazy years of their life, regardless of the equally crazy music that they made here, and that Submit To The Will Of Chaos isn't the only thing we'll ever hear from them. Some acts, well... they aren't so lucky. (The Grim Lord)

3/5