DEUTERONOMIUM - THE AMEN

Deuteronomium is back with a bulldozer of an album. This latest release is entitled The Amen and it hits like a semi truck. Their early material to me was such a treat, describing it as ‘death and roll.’  Heavy duty rock n roll infused death metal riffs, with the gargling glass vocals of Miika Partala.  At times almost feeling groovy yet never swaying completely away from death metal.

Their last album Deathbed Poetry was full on death metal, except clean vocals were used to the disappointment of some (but not this reviewer). That release also saw very little of the rock n roll vibe of earlier releases. The Amen takes a big swig of that earlier death n roll vibe and just crushes it out.

Dead Man Dancing opens this disc and it simply rules. The guitars blast away and the vibe just grabs you, moving into In the Midst of Lions is another strong mix of death metal with a pseudo groove rock n roll. The riffs are strong and deliver the strength of a cement truck (are you getting the idea this is a heavy platter of metal goodness??)

Jehovah Sabaoth is one of the faster paced tracks and demands your attention. You can just see the windmills and hair flying, but lyrically this bit of metal whimsy is a praise track.  A haunting metal melody of the lower keys is present that adds a particularly ominous feeling to the entire proceeding.

Of note is also that many of the tracks fall into that classic Deuteronomium time frame of 2 – 3 ½ minutes. Yeah there are some tracks that are longer (Hymn of a Lost) stretches out to over eight minutes! But for the most part Deuteronomium hits it hard and fast with out losing the listener in a wash of musical carnage.

With a tight production that favors the guitars in a solid package, each instrument has place in the mix with a powerful rhythm section that carries the freight. The aforementioned Hymn for example is perfect example of that strong arm drumming by Janne Jussi Kontoniemi, his kick drum plows the road ahead.  The overall sound of this release is exceptional.

Lyrically this album defines the nature of a Christian Death Metal act, or as they would say “Death Metal with LIFE!”  Jesus is praised and God is honored with the content of each song, check out Psalm 117 for a quick example. Understand this is a world class release that will have metal heads world wide raising their fists and banging their heads with joy.

Finland’s Deuteronomium have done it again with a high quality release of world class metal music. Hard to imagine that they’ve been at this for twenty years but I could find no better way to celebrate that anniversary than with an album such as this. Grab a copy of The Amen and see you down front! T-shirts please!!

8 axes

DEUTERONOMIUM - DEATHBED POETRY HOPE AGAINST HOPE

Deuteronomium have delivered their most brutal album yet. Deathbed Poetry – Hope Against Hope is a solid slab of thrashy death metal. Carrying on the vein offered on their previous album From the Midst of the Battle, a more straight ahead full on death metal assault. From the bands own blog they indicated their desire to limit the over producing of their music, so we have a very clean powerful sound which sounds very ‘live.’

Youngside Records strikes again with another gem of music hailing from Finland.

The guitar sound here is rippingly brutal, which fits the overall pallet of natural sounds. You won’t find a highly compressed and compacted production, but one that allows all of the instruments to breathe and find their own place in the mix. Natural drums are a feature that you don’t come across these days. There are some extreme vocals on this album, but most of the vocals remind me of a Slayer like delivery, not Tom Araya tonality but simply the way Miika Partala delivers the lines.

Stand out tracks that demanded immediate attention was How Deep Must We Dig?, Gravebed, The Bells are Ringing, and Alive Immortal. Each one finds a niche musically and just pounds it out. That’s not to say the other compositions are weak, they’re not, but these standouts deliver the goods. Perhaps it’s because of the vibe of this album, with its live sound. Plenty of speed and aggression can be found in these tracks which is sure to get the plenty of mosh action started.

The lyrics are based upon the work of John Donne and English priest who has penned many great spiritual works from the late 1500’s. The material here was inspired by his book Devotions upon Emergent Occasions. Quite a bit of depth can be plumbed from these metallic depths.

Deuteronomium has produced an energetic and strong album of thrashy death metal. Commercial considerations don’t exist here, just pure metal mayhem. Deathbed Poetry Hope Against Hope is a powerful album destined for the heavier parts of my playlist.

7 axes

DEUTERONOMIUM - FROM THE MIDST OF BATTLE

For those not in the know, Deuteronomium hail from Finland and they originally billed themselves ‘death and roll.’ These guys were musically sort of a death metal Motorhead in my book, groovy rock lines with an intense vocal barrage that scrapes paint at twenty meters.

This 2009 release From the Midst of Battle, however, is a straight ahead assault of intense death metal. The elements of melody that make it catchy are still in place, but a bit more subdued. Songs such as 3:16 or Defending the Faith drive hard but are still catchy enough to warrant a 2nd and 3rd listen.

All of the songs flow right up to the 17 minute epic, Tales From the Midst of Battle. A lengthy story of conquest, war and betrayal; wrapped inside a collection of riffs and melodies that assault the mind and senses.

Production is strong with a deliberate guitar sound that just rips. All the elements are allowed space to fill, without crushing each other and squashing the overall feel of the music. You won’t find anything ‘new’ here but the quality of what is presented is world class. This isn’t an album of regurgitated Slayer or Obituary riffs, but of quality music composed and arranged with experience and professionalism.

From the Midst of Battle is an exceptional piece of heavy metal music. Make no mistake, if you’re a fan of death metal you won’t miss with this one. Youngside Records has brought a gem to the North American shores, don't miss it!

8 axes

DEUTERONOMIUM - STREET CORNER QUEEN/HERE TO STAY

Deuteronomium pushes the metal petal right down through the floor. They described their style of music as ‘death n roll’ and this album showcases it all. A double disc of ferocious intensity, heavy made to be played loud. We have Bullroser Records to thank for offering this slice of metal paradise to the metal public. A compilation of everything these guys have done prior to 2008’s latest album In the Midst of Battle.

If you already have their original releases you might not necessarily need to pick up this album. This is a complete collection of all things Deuteronomium, included is their debut album 1998s Street Corner Queen, their 1999 follow up Here to Stay also the 1997 Tribal Eagle EP. Elements of thrash metal, death metal, and 'death and roll' dot this collection so turn up the volume. The majority of songs are in the 2-3 minute range, which itself is very cool, short fast and to the point, maximum rock n roll.

If that wasn’t enough Deuteronomium re-recorded their song ‘Christ Addict’ for this special release. It’s different from the song 'Christ Addict' on Here to Stay. Both songs use the same lyrics, but musically this particular song is much more restrained, not death metal but strong power metal. There are some other re-recorded songs and b-sides made available here. In total 10 extra tracks are present and three of those were re-recorded from older versions.

Deuteronomium - Tribal Eagle (Live at Metbar Lenzburg) from MeSuAx on Vimeo.

This double disc album shines with strong songs with a lot of intensity and brutality. My favorite stuff is on Here to Stay. I almost think of Motorhead, now I realize ‘Head aren’t death metal at all, but the vibe still just hits me that way. I hadn’t heard these guys before, but when Bullroser sent this to me all I could do was play and replay the Here to Stay material. Just awesome, ‘death n roll’ indeed, it grooves and flies at top speed with a great instinct for hooks.

A big thumbs up for this re-release check ‘em out and enjoy some Finnish brutality.

8 axes