Review by Greg on February 19, 2023.

Growing up, be it becoming an adult or getting older, is a crucial part of life, and musical tastes, among all things, more often than not follow the changes at the same pace. Exploring new musical genres, or just the boundaries of the ones you already know, or even shelving some of them for a while or more. Yet, in this ever-changing landscape, sometimes all you need is an album that just goes back to the roots of what you already know and love, in complete counter-trend to all of this, if you will. As you may guess, I wouldn't have lost myself in this preamble if Death For All, first opus by some Polish blokes going by the equally comforting moniker of Razor Of Death, didn't have what it takes to apply for that position.

In a certain sense, R.O.D. have carved their sub-niche. Their style of playing is sort of an abridged version of thrash metal, with quasi-crossover song lengths (but not the same punkiness) and religiously never exceeding 30 seconds at mid-pace at a time, before going back to that maximum speed and energy they're clearly more comfortable at. They're the belligerent answer to their party-loving compatriots Terrordome, in a way. It goes without saying that, songwriting-wise, I can find no better description for Death For All than 'appalling'. There are basically no variations between tracks, a transition usually doesn't happen if there isn't a guitar solo accompanying it, and their only way to string out the song lengths is to start the song again from the beginning (in addition to whatever they did on the intro to 'Born To Be Proud'). Of course, the vocalist is as one-dimensional as you may think. In short, single-minded and boneheaded like very few other things you will come across in your life. The prog-head's worst nightmare.

But, at the very least, is it... dunno, angry? Yeah, you fucking bet.

Having one single trick up your sleeve and basing a whole album on it is doomed to end in failure if the band isn't convincing in what they do, and fortunately R.O.D. do deliver. If the almost total lack of dynamics doesn't bother you (and at this point you should have already closed this page if it does), Death For All is tough shit. Unconvincing riffs are surprisingly very few in number, the drumming is adequately thunderous, and despite the absence of choruses, the vocal parts can be shouted along more often than you would imagine. You may have some gripes with the production, which at times can get too slick (the drum sound, particularly on 'Born To Be Proud', even gives an electronic kit impression) but the mixing is spot on, giving each member the right space, even if the brutish, yelled vocals will probably get on your nerves in the long run.

Whenever you'll need something to headbang to, Death For All will never fail you, and I'm pretty sure R.O.D.'s live shows will be endurance tests for even the toughest necks. But there's very little more than that, and especially not much you'll remember after it will stop playing.

...being a mostly stupid thrasher myself, I really can't shoot it down though. Take this 7 and go away.

Choice cuts: lend an ear to the title-track for the best riff, 'Dead By Dusk' for the blast-beat peppered bridge, 'Chopped By Razor' for general solidness. Then decide if it's worth going on with the rest of Death For All.

Rating: 7 put of 10

Review by Felix on May 10, 2022.

Against all fears, the catastrophic "Unveiling the Wicked" did not cause permanent damage. It shocked the "heavy metal maniacs", but from now on it could only get better. For this reason, the remaining Exciter supporters looked towards the future (and in particular the next album) with hope. Well, hope dies last - but it dies. Exciter stagnated. They were still unable to offer inspired compositions and did not know which way to turn. While playing an undefinable mix of melodic power, speed, and heavy metal, they did not recognize that they ended up in a dead end. The music totally lacked of unique ideas. We had heard songs like those of "Exciter" a thousand times. Flabby riffing, mid-tempo, verse/chorus/verse etc., dull solos. The old rule was valid: those who do not offer anything new have to compensate this lack of originality with a brilliant performance. A lot of bands release good albums without being inventive.

With regard to Exciter, nothing could be further from the truth. Well, two songs ("Scream Bloody Murder" and "Behind Enemy Lines") achieved a fairly satisfactory level. It would be an exaggeration to say that they sounded good, but they were more or less lively. That alone was enough to leave behind the other pieces. I know, this sounds a little odd. Nevertheless, all the other songs had a stale taste. In my opinion, they were not worth to be published under the band´s once famous name. To be specific, they should never had been published, no matter by whom. "Unveiling the Wicked" made me upset, but this full-length left me absolutely cold. The music could not release emotion so that this album was absolutely unnecessary. Also with a view to the new lead vocalist, "unnecessary" was the only appropriate word. While singing totally insignificant lyrics, Rob Malnati sounded more or less exactly like Beehler. Just listen to his high-pitched screams, the most striking feature of his expressionless vocals. But that was not all: according to the pictures on the back cover, he also visited the same hairdresser.

The lethargic songs would have needed a massive wall of sound, but the production must be described as ordinary. The low-budget cover and the minimalistic booklet blended in the overall picture. While other musicians work with the highest attention to release an outstanding self-titled album that is worth to wear the band´s name, these confused Canadians published a collection of second class songs that damaged their reputation massively. Sad but true, this output was only slightly better than its predecessor.

Rating: 2.7 out of 10