Dead Head - Depression Tank
Depression Tank is the seventh album of Dutch living thrash legend Dead Head. Somehow I never had the urge to check out their previous albums, so for me Depression Tank is my first real encounter with Dead Head. This year has already brought us some nice thrash albums (Kreators new album and Criminals last album for example) and I am curious if Depression Tank fits in that line.
Dead Head plays a very straightforward type of thrash metal. You won’t find many midtempo or melodic elements in their music. They only play at one pace and that’s breakneck speed. One problem that I have with this kind of thrash metal is that the songs tend to sound the same.
And that’s just the case with this album. Overall it’s a nice album, with some real ass-kicking songs on it (they open furiously with ‘Dissolved In Purity’ and ‘Green Angel’), but the lack of change in tempo isn’t really in favour of the album. Some songs sound almost identical, especially when you listen to the album for the first time. Luckily this changes when you listen more carefully and more often. I just hope for Dead Head that in this consumer driven era, listeners really take the time to let an album grow on them.
But despite this fact, it’s still far and away from a mediocre album. I really like for example the song ‘The Swing’, it has some interesting mid-tempo parts in it without losing it’s aggressiveness. I must even say that this is one of the better thrash songs I have heard in a while. Not a song that you want to play in your car, when you're trying to avoid another speeding ticket!
The album needs its time to blossom, so patient listeners should have a nice thrash album for their collection. People who don’t have the time or attention span to listen to an album numerous times, rather should buy one of the numerous metalcore albums that are flooding the market on a monthly basis.
78/1001Details Displeased Records
Released on Thursday Jan 22nd, 2009
Thrash Metal
Writer @Neurotic on Wednesday May 6th, 2009
Tags: #Dead Head
Tracklisting
1. Dissolved In Purity
2. Green Angel
3. Cryptocynic
4. The Swing
5. Daemonique
6. Firegate
7. Less Than Zero
8. Murder
9. Nero Dies
10. Hateland
11. Pesticide
2. Green Angel
3. Cryptocynic
4. The Swing
5. Daemonique
6. Firegate
7. Less Than Zero
8. Murder
9. Nero Dies
10. Hateland
11. Pesticide
Line up
Ralph de Boer - Vocals & Bass
Ronnie van der Weij - Guitars
Robbie Woning - Guitars
Hans Spijker - Drums
Ronnie van der Weij - Guitars
Robbie Woning - Guitars
Hans Spijker - Drums