It is with the release of albums like this that my passion for blasphemous, brutal Death Metal revives. In the span of eleven tracks and 37 minutes, Ravage presents an amalgamation of the most engaging aspects of blasting Death Metal and brands it all into your consciousness with surgical precision. Everything is here: triggered, machine-gun-fire-double-bass, ultra-technical riffing, guttural (yet clear) vocals, dissonant lead guitar lines, and bone-crunching groove. Many would be inclined to say that these are the most overused ingredients in Death Metal today, but it is exactly these ingredients that make their music so enthralling. The band also does offer some new aspects by adding in hardcore breakdowns from time to time and this gives a welcome change and freshness to the songs.
It would be futile to go through all ten songs (not including the intro) and what exactly makes them so good. I will point out that my favourites are: Get Fucking Slaughtered, Riddled, and Blazing Chaos. The solo sections in Blazing Chaos, Holycaust and Vow of Desecration sound very technical. But this is only one aspect of sublimity. The only argument I think one could make with this is that they stick to a formula in the songwriting, but I think that this formula is what makes it so damn good, as I said first. They know how to utilize just the right amounts of brutal passages and slower, dirge-y breakdowns to make a permanent impression with the listener. Killer production on the double bass as well as the whole drum kit is quite audible, while the guitars are so so heavy. Exquisite tremolo picking. The band is talented and it shows. Trust my good judgment and seek this album out to hear for yourself. I guarantee that if you like the combination of good Trash and Death, and if you like what you’ve read so far, then you won’t regret checking Ravage out.
9/10 Points – reviewed by Lyra
official Website: http://www.totalravage.de