Insect Politics

It’s been four long years since we’ve heard anything from the Utah based thrash outfit Deathblow. “Demolition Deployment” was released back in 2016 as a single and it was one hell of a track but it left us just wanting more, at least I know I was. With a debut full length under their belt, an EP and a single, the echoes of something new had to come out eventually, right? Warping into 2020, a year of many great metal releases but also a year of just horrible things going on in the world. Thankfully, it’s also the year we finally got our hands on the new and much anticipated “Insect Politics” from Deathblow. With the record in my hands, let’s see if they can deliver as they have in the past or just simple let me down and drown like a sack of rocks in a muddy river.

What you get in this package of political hate is just what you would expect as you can tell from the album cover. “Insect Politics” is a record that packs enough punch that you want to come back to it on a weekly basis. At only 35 minutes in length, you can easily throw this one and just zone out into whatever you might be doing at the time but always be reminded that the government is out to get our flesh like sewer rats waiting for us to decay from the poison they feed us. The whole “soundtrack to a riot” is present throughout the whole record and honestly, it’s something these dudes are damn good at, which is stepping on your throat and never letting up.

While my history with thrash metal isn’t the most diverse, I do know what I love about the genre and what I dislike. “Brain Bugs”, the first track on the record, is the epitome of what I cherish when it comes to thrash metal. A melodic opening with a simple riff before being paired with some drums to wake ya ass up a bit. The tide changes from “rest your head and be calm” to “let’s move the fucking pit and raise hell” at the one and a half minute mark. This is how the records begins so you know the rest is going to be filled with greatness. Not to mention, the transition from “Brain Bugs” to “Accelerated Decrepitude” just makes me want to destroy the walls inside my living room. For me, that’s the huge thing about this record, Deathblow isn’t afraid to just slap you with back to back solos or tempo changes as if they do it in their sleep.

If you’re a fan of thrash bands such as Warbringer & Havok, you should enjoy what is wrapped in this grit filled present. I’ll be honest, nothing here is “different” or “unique” by any means but that doesn’t mean this record doesn’t deliver on all cylinders. I would even go as far as to say that this might be the stepping stone this band needed to elevate themselves to top tier statues in the genre of thrash but in the world of metal in general.

Originally written for deceptionofgolgotha.wordpress.com