Five albums in and KK Warslut’s Deströyer 666 still sound as savage as ever.
Combining the fire of Possessed with the Teutonic power of Sodom and early Kreator, Deströyer 666 filter these influences through a certain independent bloody-mindedness, and Wildfire is no exception. While hooded candlelight vigils and cavernous echoes are everywhere in death metal these days, KK and his mob take a more direct approach: foot on the monitor, fist in the air, bulletbelts, sore necks. Indeed, they’re as direct as a punch to the face.
D666 are consistently ferocious live and Wildfire captures that same sweat-drenched intensity with nine slices of rabid metal. Relocated Antipodean Warslut has recruited honorary Aussies, including RC from Grave Miasma and Cruciatmentum (two of the UK’s very best death metal bands), as well as Sweden’s Perra Karslon (Die Hard, In Aeternum).
That’s some serious pedigree KK has to call on, and boy does it show. Kicking off with Traitor, the band steamroller through like their next round of beers depended on it. Frantic and furious thrashing is the order of the day; the delightfully titled Die You Fucking Pig brings to mind a young Slayer, while the title track is strongly Germanic, recalling Destruction and Protector. That’s not to say it is all aggro; Hounds At Ya Back has a hint of early Running Wild about it, a catchy, anthemic number served with plenty of spite.
Like all previous D666 outings, the roots are very much in Noise Records’ 80s catalogue, but the production is far more modern. There are no cardboard box drums here but neither does it sound plasticy or polite like some recent metal can. KK’s savagery is focused and razor-sharp, and overall the effect is of being punched repeatedly between the eyes by a studded fist. And that has to be a good thing, right?
