Dreams Of Damnation
Let the Violence Begin
Necropolis
Yes, indeed Let the Violence Begin, for Dreams Of Damnation’s debut record marks the much-needed return of founding Dark Angel guitarist Jim Durkin, pretty much on hiatus since the band’s demise in the early ’90s. Six songs in nearly a half-hour, Let the Violence Begin is the perfect length for Slayer- and – you guessed it! – Dark Angel-inspired death-thrash to really take root, really clatter around inside the cranium, racing comprehensively and comprehendingly to the finish line where the late ’80s began and the early ’90s ended (say what?). I mean, what else did you expect Durkin to play? Take into consideration that, in ‘86, Dark Angel’s Darkness Descends and Slayer’s Reign In Blood bloodily fought it out for fiercest record of the year, the latter usually winning in most people’s minds, mainly due to their perseverance and infinitely higher profile. Anyway, Dreams Of Damnation are nothing revelatory, and they certainly know that, simply proclaiming that they want nothing more than to be the frontrunners of “The New Wave of Traditional Death/Thrash Metal” (NWOTDTM?); it’s definitely becoming a valid term these days (see Maze of Torment review this issue), but a bit too early to laud DOD as its leaders – give us a full-length, Jim, and then we’ll see.
Necropolis, P.O. Box 14815, Fremont, CA 94539-4815; http://www.necropolisrec.com
