Melbourne thrashers Desecrator return with their sophomore full-length release “Summoning” which catapults the veteran metal act into a fully fledged force to be reckoned with. After their electrifying debut album 4 years ago, it was now time to see if the band could follow it up with an even stronger effort.
As far as thrash metal goes, one could say it’s all been said and done but that doesn’t mean there’s no room for improvement. Leading the way in modern thrash in Australia, Desecrator have been fairly busy these last few years with writing, recording and touring but the second release, heralded as a pivotal point in any bands career is one that many people tend to latch on to. With this follow up to their brilliant debut “To The Gallows” back in 2017 we see a somewhat more refined and focused band with a mission to top anything they had done before but the raw viciousness of the band’s trademark sound is not only retained but further expanded on.
A short intro leads into the title track which is a classic banger right from the get-go. It’s fast, it’s heavy and with a big chant section at the end, this one is sure to go over live big time. One of the singles from the album, “Hate At First Sight” follows with another fast tempo but with a solo section that features a breathtaking mid-tempo breakdown to get the juices flowing even more.
“Belly Of The Beast” kicks off with a nice chugging riff before stepping on the gas pedal into fittingly like the title itself but it’s the next track, “Beg Steal Or Borrow” that steals the show early on. Things start with an Anthrax inspired intro taking the listener to that classic thrash sound but the pace of this one pushes things to another level. A brilliant solo section complete with hooky riffs complimenting the blazing guitar solos before the double kicks come crashing in make this a real winner.
For something a bit different, “A Light In The Dark” could be perceived as your ballad type track but while it’s certainly at a much slower pace here, the vocal intro and dark atmosphere really make this a uniquely interesting number that seperates itself completely from the rest of the pack.
Another highlight of the album is the catchy “Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em” with a chorus line that will be another live winner. And that is exactly what Desecrator have on their hands here with their second album, a definite winner and while there’s no groundbreaking stuff here, this is thrash metal done right and that’s all we need, especially at a time like this in the world.
9/10
TRACKLIST
Raise The Dead
Summoning
Hate At First Sight
Belly Of The Beast
Beg Steal Or Borrow
Wipe The Slate
Manic
A Light In The Dark
Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em
The Devil You Know
