Dew Scented – Incinerate
Nuclear Blast – NB 1817-2 – 30TH March 2007
by Tom Strutton
With a solid discography of modern thrash to their name, German anger-merchants Dew Scented are considered by many to be among the forerunners of their chosen path. Prior to its release, expectation for this seventh instalment was typically more of the same brutalized riff-ery and relentless hate-fuelled social criticism that earned earlier efforts respect in the modern thrash community, and, if nothing else, Dew Scented can be said to deliver what is expected of them. Incinerate reveals a group with a great deal of integrity, and one which is obviously passionate about both their work and their audience. Regardless of whether this is your cup of tea or not, few will argue that Incinerate is half-hearted or lacks consistency.
Most critics have already observed that the driving force behind Incinerate’s success is the tightly forged relationship between the fretwork of Florian Müller and Hendrik Bache, coupled with the accomplished drumming of recently departed sticksman Uwe Werning. This is certainly not off the mark, but it is worth adding that many listeners will find it a struggle to sit through an entire album for the sake of this one aspect, which, in all honesty, deviates very little and risks becoming stale at short notice. The riffs themselves are malicious and refuse to settle down, thus appropriately reflecting the anxious, bitter dialogue of vocalist Leif Jensen. Unfortunately, the vocals are a weak point of the album, suffering from a lack of force and depth that would contribute in taking the overall impact of Incinerate to a higher plateau.
Incinerate offers some great tracks, but nothing that will stop you dead in your tracks. The seasoned extreme metal fan may acknowledge the stab at aggression with a cursory nod, but is unlikely to find the brutality potent enough to satisfy their hardened ears. At the other end of the spectrum, fans of melodically orientated metal may dismay the lack of sensitivity on show. Of course, suckers for thrash metal will be the ones that lap this up and praise it most eagerly, although it is unavoidable to imagine that Dew Scented would achieve greater artistic and commercial heights if only they broadened their style a little. This is not a big criticism and not a plea for the band to sell-out, but an expression of the view that Dew Scented would benefit from channelling their talent into more daring ventures. The songwriting is above average, with a couple of tracks that stand out - ‘The Fraud’ has a fun, runaway intro/chorus riff, whilst ‘That’s Why I Despise You’ has a delightful intro that plays with the antiphonal effect of one guitar either side of the stereo field. The production value is fair, though discriminating listeners may criticise the way that the rhythm guitars have been mixed in a way that highlights the nature of their capture, i.e. you will get visuals of a guitarist sitting in a booth, wearing cans and recording his ‘parts’. The only other criticism to level at the otherwise good production value is the lack of bass, which only serves to reinforce the hierarchical dominance of guitars and drums.
Incinerate is a very good modern thrash album that should please Dew Scented fans, although it is doubtful that the music is striking enough to win the band new fans. Take it or leave it depending on how much you are drawn to modern thrash and its tendency to overcomplicate riffs and structures. Me… I’ll always be reaching for my Beneath the Remains CD…
Official Dew Scented Website
Official Nuclear Blast Website
Nuclear Blast – NB 1817-2 – 30TH March 2007
by Tom Strutton
With a solid discography of modern thrash to their name, German anger-merchants Dew Scented are considered by many to be among the forerunners of their chosen path. Prior to its release, expectation for this seventh instalment was typically more of the same brutalized riff-ery and relentless hate-fuelled social criticism that earned earlier efforts respect in the modern thrash community, and, if nothing else, Dew Scented can be said to deliver what is expected of them. Incinerate reveals a group with a great deal of integrity, and one which is obviously passionate about both their work and their audience. Regardless of whether this is your cup of tea or not, few will argue that Incinerate is half-hearted or lacks consistency.
Most critics have already observed that the driving force behind Incinerate’s success is the tightly forged relationship between the fretwork of Florian Müller and Hendrik Bache, coupled with the accomplished drumming of recently departed sticksman Uwe Werning. This is certainly not off the mark, but it is worth adding that many listeners will find it a struggle to sit through an entire album for the sake of this one aspect, which, in all honesty, deviates very little and risks becoming stale at short notice. The riffs themselves are malicious and refuse to settle down, thus appropriately reflecting the anxious, bitter dialogue of vocalist Leif Jensen. Unfortunately, the vocals are a weak point of the album, suffering from a lack of force and depth that would contribute in taking the overall impact of Incinerate to a higher plateau.
Incinerate offers some great tracks, but nothing that will stop you dead in your tracks. The seasoned extreme metal fan may acknowledge the stab at aggression with a cursory nod, but is unlikely to find the brutality potent enough to satisfy their hardened ears. At the other end of the spectrum, fans of melodically orientated metal may dismay the lack of sensitivity on show. Of course, suckers for thrash metal will be the ones that lap this up and praise it most eagerly, although it is unavoidable to imagine that Dew Scented would achieve greater artistic and commercial heights if only they broadened their style a little. This is not a big criticism and not a plea for the band to sell-out, but an expression of the view that Dew Scented would benefit from channelling their talent into more daring ventures. The songwriting is above average, with a couple of tracks that stand out - ‘The Fraud’ has a fun, runaway intro/chorus riff, whilst ‘That’s Why I Despise You’ has a delightful intro that plays with the antiphonal effect of one guitar either side of the stereo field. The production value is fair, though discriminating listeners may criticise the way that the rhythm guitars have been mixed in a way that highlights the nature of their capture, i.e. you will get visuals of a guitarist sitting in a booth, wearing cans and recording his ‘parts’. The only other criticism to level at the otherwise good production value is the lack of bass, which only serves to reinforce the hierarchical dominance of guitars and drums.
Incinerate is a very good modern thrash album that should please Dew Scented fans, although it is doubtful that the music is striking enough to win the band new fans. Take it or leave it depending on how much you are drawn to modern thrash and its tendency to overcomplicate riffs and structures. Me… I’ll always be reaching for my Beneath the Remains CD…
Official Dew Scented Website
Official Nuclear Blast Website
