Deathrow
Raging Steel

Lineup:
Milo - vocals, bass
Sven Flügge - guitar
Thomas Priebe - guitar
Markus Hahn - drums

The German Heavy Metal scene has always been somewhat underrated and often unknown to many, despite Hard & Heavy bands like the Scorpions having certainly been more fortunate, managing to find a secure spot in the mainstream. The immense Accept were a bit less fortunate, creators of "Restless And Wild," in my opinion one of the most beautiful albums in history, but also Running Wild, the pirates of Metal, with their epic "Port Royal." Stepping outside the traditional scene, there's Thrash Metal, which, distinct enough from the American version, experiments with heavier, aggressive, purely raw paths, making it more difficult to assimilate for ears possibly more accustomed to the Thrash proposed by the Big Four and the Bay Area scene. But Germany certainly doesn't lack strong contenders: there's the Triad (Sodom-Kreator-Destruction), Tankard, Exumer, Darkness, and these Deathrow. Deathrow, initially called Samhain, was formed in 1985 in Düsseldorf and disbanded in '92, after releasing four albums. A truly little-known band, except among true enthusiasts, they debuted with the excellent "Satan's Gift" or "Riders Of Doom" (I still haven't figured out which it's called, given they have different covers but the same tracks), and then produced this "Raging Steel" immediately the following year.

"Raging Steel" is the classic average album, not a masterpiece, but capable of making you headbang without a doubt. A borderline work, between the raw debut (still very tied to Slayer), and the definitive maturation in the subsequent "Deception Ignored" (1988), which is certainly their masterpiece. Besides the technique, the album's production has also vastly improved, more devastating and effective. The intro ''The Dawn'' is characterized by blaring trumpets, intended to announce the sunrise on the horizon, and the impending battle that's about to ignite. The war begins with the opening of the Title Track, directly comparable to a punch in the face, due to the hammering, frantic drums and 'sharp' guitars, all spiced up by Milo's voice, neither too hoarse nor too clean. It continues with one of the best, if not the best, songs on the record, namely ''Scattered By The Wind'': it starts immediately at breakneck speed without intending to relent, narrating the era of Hitler's regime in Germany, up to the chorus, characterized by an effective slowdown that details the methods of destroying Jews in the camps: ''SLOW DEATH, BY ZYKLON-B IN THE SHOWER ROOMS". Towards the end of the track, Deathrow has inserted a truly fantastic riff, totally delirious. The following "Dragon's Blood" is the calm after the storm of the first two tracks, indeed it is significantly more measured and 'Epic' if you will, also due to the Fantasy-themed lyrics, something quite atypical in Thrash. A track not exceptional but certainly interesting.

The album continues more or less in the style of the first two tracks, as we can see from the violence of "Pledge To Die" and "Mortal Dread", proving to be a violent work but not lacking in sophistication. Indeed, the technique of the two guitarists is certainly not to be overlooked, on the contrary, they demonstrate to be excellent musicians capable of blending power and complexity of riffs, delivering a more than good performance. Influences detectable in this album are certainly Slayer's "Reign In Blood" due to the pounding speed, but also Kreator's "Pleasure To Kill", particularly noticeable from the attack of the Title Track, which vaguely recalls that of "Ripping Corpse".

A more than good work, I would say, that will satisfy Thrash Metal fanatics, and perhaps a little less those who are not yet well versed in the genre. In the subsequent "Deception Ignored," they will change course directly, undergoing a process of 'Americanization', getting much closer to bands like Anthrax and experimenting with an uncommon technique.