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DESASTER
Kill All Idols

Metal Blade (2025)
Rating: 8/10

Blackened thrash is the name of the game here, Desaster kicking off their tenth full-length platter with ‘Great Repulsive Force’, a sizzling hot dose of Satanic fury from a German band that’s been dabbling with the dark arts since the late 80s. Desaster features two longstanding members in the form of co-founder Infernal (guitar) from 1988, and Odin (bass) who joined in 1992. Vocalist Sataniac (vocals) joined the ranks in 2001, and newest recruit Hont (drums) has featured since 2018.

What you get here is relatively standard but engaging angst from the borders of Hell, although this is without doubt one of Desaster’s rawest manifestations. Stripped back to blackened bone, Kill All Idols sounds like a band that’s just starting out; it’s hungry and untamed with injections of well soiled punk alongside flashes, dashes and crashes of Hellhammer and Bathory for good measure.

However, within their gritty framework, Desaster still manages a degree of variety, more so with the doom-laden ‘Stellar Remnant’ which comes across as a vile, sneering mix of Autopsy and current Darkthrone. It’s my favourite song on the album with its miserable droning guitar and smirking slurs.

Elsewhere, the combo opts for the spiteful, punk-spiked yet melodious ‘Emanation Of The Profane’, which features an almost surfy back drop in its delivery. At it’s more extreme levels the album is a furious whipped whirlwind of destruction. ‘Ash Cloud Ritual’ is an absolute frenzy of raging drums and black death aesthetics, although Sataniac still manages to channel Autopsy’s Chris Reifert when it comes to his disgusting slurps. ‘Towards Oblivion’ begins with a primitive slice of lead work before takeoff on a gallop into black-thrash realms as again a devious hook claws at your ears in tandem with the punch of percussion.

Desaster have always had a knack for finding a catchy melody, but on this album they really have excelled at digging deep into their basement and providing some intriguing New Wave Of British Heavy Metal inspired roughness. ‘They Are The Law’ is the best example of such an influence, taking a leaf from the Motörhead book of blitzkrieg and ramping it up to thrashy levels, while ‘Fathomless Victory’ entices with its simmering, straight up metal intro. What the track also exhibits is the band’s ability to construct epic sounding segments by way of a stark guitar and drum duality, and the end result is a mid-tempo doom stride straight from the bowels of Manowar or Manilla Road’s majestic cookbook, but done the Darkthrone way.

Kill All Idols is a triumphant return for Desaster, arrogantly swaggering through the depths of Hades like it was 1988 all over again and proving that evil reigns supreme.

Neil Arnold

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