Man, 2024 really is shaping up to be the year of big comebacks, for better worse. First Job for a Cowboy threw down the gauntlet by re-emerging after a decade with one of the best tech death albums in recent memory. And now just a couple months later, after a whopping 14 years since their last offering, melodic death metallers Dååth are back as well with a fresh, reinvigorated lineup and a certified front-to-back banger of their own, The Deceivers. Believe me when I tell you, this thing is a bruiser.
If I’m being completely honest, I have to admit I was never terribly infatuated with this band during their heyday in the 2000’s. I kept seeing their name pop up everywhere, but when I first checked them out I found a lot of their song structures to be kind of lackluster. Although, to their credit, their self-titled album from 2010 was a significant step in the right direction, helped along greatly by a killer drum performance from the inimitable Kevin Talley. But fast forward nearly a decade and a half later, and now their music is all but unrecognizable from their earlier works.
It sounds like a completely different band this time around, and to be fair that’s because it basically is. While founding guitarist Eyal Levi and longtime vocalist Sean Zatorsky are still there, the lineup has now been filled out by hired gun drum extraordinaire Kerim “Krimh” Lechner (who would have been enough to sell me on his own, anything with his name on it is always worth checking out), new guitarist Rafael Trujillo, The Binary Code’s Jesse Zuretti adding extra guitar and keyboard arrangements, and bassist David Marvuglio, all of whom are absolutely firing on all cylinders.
It’s clear that Dååth went back to the drawing board for this next album, which is commendable in and of itself, but what’s really impressive is not just how much faster and heavier the music is now compared to before, but how consistent it is. We’re not talking about another flash in the pan where the first couple of songs are great and then the excitement starts to taper off as the filler kicks in, but literally every single song has something great to offer that is worth sticking around for. It’s a complete ground-up overhaul, not just a leap forward but a quantum leap. Every riff, solo, drum fill, and vocal pattern feels meticulously crafted to have its own distinct sense of personality without losing sight of its place in the overall design.
Seriously, the attention to detail in the songwriting on this album cannot be overstated. The way each segment flows into the next almost effortlessly- and often unexpectedly- is extremely satisfying to listen to. The opening track “No Rest No End” quickly builds to an exciting blend of speed, melody, and groove that keeps things ratcheted up to 11 the whole time, whereas its follow-up, the recent single “Hex Unending”, maintains a fairly straightforward rhythm throughout but dances around it in a way that keeps it from ever feeling repetitive. And my God, the way the opening 30 seconds of the third track “Ascension” steadily ramps things up and brings the momentum right back into the pocket for the main breakdown is just *chef’s kiss* (and that’s before we even get to the dazzling guest solo by Archspire’s Dean Lamb).
The next couple of songs, “With Ill Desire” and “The Silent Foray”, are a bit more mid-paced and structurally similar to their old material, but much beefier and with noticeably more nuance in the drums. Day One fans can rest assured that while the band have indeed taken a big step forward, they clearly still haven’t forgotten their roots. Ordinarily the midway point of an album is where the cynical side of me peeks out and I start thinking, “Uh oh, is this where they finally run out of steam?” But nope, this time they were just catching their breath before the next round.
“Unwelcome Return” starts off slow with an almost pensive melody that quickly becomes the triumphant backdrop for a sort of quasi-black metal whirlwind. After that, the blast beats in “Purified By Vengeance” play off of the slow chugging guitars in a way that reminds me a lot of the newer incarnations of Rivers of Nihil, which once again dramatically shifts the tone of the album in the space of two songs with neither one feeling out of place.
The penultimate track “Deserving of the Grave” is basically a nonstop flurry of double bass and hard-hitting, slightly off-kilter breakdowns, broken up by some extremely melodic shredding in the back half. All good stuff, and at this point one gets the distinct impression that this might well be the wind-up for the big final blow. And so we come to the million-dollar question: does it stick the landing? Does The Deceivers finish as strong as it started and follow through on all of the momentum that it’s spent eight songs building up thus far?
Yup, nailed it.
The opening riff of the final track “Into Forgotten Dirt” is mean as shit, with pummeling grooves peppered with just the right amount of melody, and after expertly bobbing and weaving through a few more really fun riffs and ripping solos, the tension finally snaps like a rubber band and the music completely cuts out at the end. That approach doesn’t always work, and in fact sometimes it can feel like a cop-out, but in this case it makes perfect sense. I’m not sure why, but it just does.
This whole album is very smartly written; everything feels like a steady, natural progression, and by the time it’s over you aren’t left feeling exhausted but exhilarated. I’m constantly harping on about how pacing is the true secret ingredient to making great music, and this is a fucking master class on that concept. This is how you do it right. The musicianship is all very impressive, yes, but that doesn’t mean anything if all of the pieces don’t come together in a satisfying way, and even more importantly, in the correct order. There’s no clear-cut roadmap for exactly how to get that part right, but when it works, there’s no mistaking it. The Deceivers is destined to go down as a career highlight for Dååth, a jewel in their crown if ever there was one. It really is that good, simple as that.
The Deceivers drops this Friday, May 3rd via Metal Blade Records. Pre-order your copy here.
By: www.metalsucks.net
