There comes a time in life when I got introduced to thrash and speed metal during my teenager years whether it be early Megadeth, Destruction, Kreator, Death Angel and Testament to other bands whom incorporated the thrash and blackened movements anywhere from Midnight, Destroyer 666, Toxic Holocaust and Nocturnal Graves to this upcoming band from Germany known as Vulture and their latest offering Dealin’ Death and is the third full-length by the band and is released on Metal Blade Records. Vulture’s style of speed and thrash metal is very influenced by the Teutonic German thrash scene well as the American cultural artists like Exodus for example have really been sticking to their foundation that’ll be discussed for long periods of time from a musical and lyrical standpoint to where I truly feel the band’s debut full-length The Gulliotine which was well received by critics but for this latest album, they’ve kept the traditional soundscapes and formula prior to 2019’s Ghastly Waves & Battered Graves and for that reason, Dealin’ Death is a doubled edge sword that is filled with catchy guitar riffs, memorable vocals, great drum work, solid bass and a production that’s not only complimented and exhilarating to a extent, but Vulture’s dedication making heavy metal music is surely worth the experience.
Vulture’s craftsmanship, technical skill, and production hasn’t changed quite a bit prior to Ghastly Waves & Battered Graves but however, the members from Vulture decided to show more pride and progression to keep the tempos, rhythmic leads, instrumentals and hooks to be not only catchy, memorable and extremely dynamic but they’ve matured and evolved to a much more cohesive and expansive band which therefore, they solidified the music to be as sharp and entertaining. Their presentation alone in creating lyrics about horror, fictionalized stories, heavy metal music and other contents are surely worth reading especially if you’re fans of that nature but needlessly, these Germans prefer to create music for the masses that will stand the test of time as a upcoming band in the thrash metal movement.
Songs such as Count Your Blessings, The Court of Caligula, Flee The Phantom and Below the Mausoleum features a very wide mixture of their traditional speed and thrash metal signatures, heavy metal driven anthems and a compulsive, yet headbanging display of crisp singing arrangements with the production and instrumentals can be turned up a tad bit within the mixing department but it does maintain the ability to not lose any sort of volume or control within the latter half of the album. It’s quite amazing that these Germans can create and pay tribute to their influences in the thrash and speed metal scene for many generations to come but if you’re wanting a album that’s fun, energized and authentic at the same time then Dealin’ Death is the record for you.
Overall Score: 8.5/10
Review by Jake Butler
