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Dublin Death Patrol > DDP 4 Life > Reviews
Dublin Death Patrol - DDP 4 Life

Groove metal suckage 4 life. - 31%

hells_unicorn, March 8th, 2011

I have a soft spot in my part for the San Francisco Bay Area when it comes to thrash metal. Something about the high speed, virtuosic, free flowing mayhem of it all just struck a chord with me and made me want to bang my head clear off my shoulders. When hearing that there was an album out there combining the talents of Exodus and Testament, I was both thrilled and horrified. The former feeling was mostly due to what I hoped would be a really triumphant return to form for all in congress, the latter feeling was tied into what I knew to likely be the actual result, which would be a venture into the testicle shrinking world of modern practices where riffs are few, pretentious Phil Anselmo vocals with traces of nu-metal are plentiful, and both are covered up with over-indulgent lead guitar playing.

Dublin Death Patrol’s solitary offering to recent metal history did little to disappoint my pessimistic side, and proved to be almost a perfect manifestation of why I don’t like most modernized versions of the genre. At a fundamental level, “DDP 4 Life” can be considered a thrash metal album, albeit one that has been dumbed down to the point where it sounds close to a latter day Vinnie Paul project mockery of the style, but with about 3 times as many guitar solos. Not that setting the fret board on fire is a bad thing, but in much the same respect as the superior yet equally overindulgent “Hear N’ Aid” project, this album is almost all frosting and no cake.

There is a saving grace to this album in the fact that the guitars actually sound close to the way a Bay Area album should sound. The riffs are more percussive than they are sludgy, but they don’t have quite the same punch that was a staple of the 85 through 91 time period. It is more akin to a moderately crunchy punk rock interpretation of thrash riffing, done in a really primitive fashion, and at a slowed down tempo. For almost the entirety of the first half of this album, the riffing is so damned repetitive and hypnotic that it’s almost as if the ghost of Dimebag Darrel possessed whoever laid down the rhythm tracks, but thankfully spared us the ugly modern nu-metal processed guitar sound. The lone exception is “Unnatural Causes”, which works ok as a sort of modern reinterpretation of a Motörhead song.

To be fair to this album, it doesn’t completely blow from start to finish, but when half of your actual good material is cover songs, there is definitely a problem. The remakes of “Iron Fist” and “Cold Sweat” are adequately done and showcase the few areas where Souza’s sleazy screams and Chuck Billy’s semi-death metal barks work well, though at times the latter gets a little ridiculous. The lead guitar breaks on the Thin Lizzy cover are particularly auspicious, being among the more frenzied collections of shred I’ve ever heard on a thrash album, yet not venturing into disjointed noise territory the way many Slayer influenced solos tend to. But the only really bright spot on what is otherwise a half assed mishmash of groove and half-thrash is “Trail Of The Executioner”, which gallops like a crazed bastard son of an Iron Maiden song on cocaine and has a principle riff that sounds akin to “Neon Knights”, but with a few NWOBHM additives to spice it up a bit. The half-ballad “Devil In Disguise” is also a decent and catchy tune that is somewhat reminiscent of older ballad work in Testament’s 80s catalog.

It’s difficult to know what the deal is with all of these super band flops and failed flame rekindling going on, but it is safe to say that barring a complete revamp of their format, Dublin Death Patrol will end up becoming yet another foot note in the grand tradition of half-thrash suck. Call me crazy, but when I see a bunch of old guard Bay Area guys getting together for an alleged conglomerated ass kicking session, I expect the thing to actually kick ass, not get caught in a shitty post-Pantera groove and only occasionally even bother to reminisce on a time when bands would riff the audience into auditory oblivion. But for those who are curious, if you catch this poor creature in the bargain bin for $3 or less, it might be worth a couple of listens before having a long life as a beer coaster.

Pretty Good at First... - 56%

pinpals, December 6th, 2007

I really wasn't even interested in this album when I first heard of the band's existence. I was aware of the fact that Steve Souza and Chuck Billy were sharing vocal duties; but while I like each other's work with their respective bands, I was never a big enough fan to buy something just because they were on it. And for some reason they have a bunch of guitarists and bassists. Two of Chuck Billy's brothers and one of Steve Souza's brothers are in the band, along with several other musicians from the Dublin (California, not Ireland) area. Then I heard a couple of the tracks that caught my attention. One of them was "Mentally Unstable" and I forget the other one. Then I got the promo CD at my radio station and one listen was enough to convince me to buy my own copy.

Dublin Death Patrol plays a sort of thrash with a punk influence. There are no songs that really have a large number of riffs, but it is thrash nonetheless. It is all mostly mid-paced with a solo or two thrown in somewhere. The solos are well-played but not much really anything memorable, with the exception of "Cold Sweat" and "Mentally Unstable." Drums and bass are unremarkable for the most part. It seems like Chuck Billy is the main singer, while Souza is always second when the vocalists trade off lines. Billy sounds decent, but Souza is pretty lousy, which is disappointing considering how excellent he was on Exodus’ “Tempo of the Damned.”

The songs themselves are pretty good, at least at first, especially “Mentally Unstable.” There are also covers from Motorhead, Thin Lizzy, and UFO. “Iron Fist” and “Cold Sweat” are actually pretty good, but “Lights Out” is so awful, that when I heard the original version later, I couldn’t listen to it. The only decent parts of “Lights Out” are the several guitar leads, but their merit is canceled out by the terrible vocal work of Billy. With the exception of “Lights Out” and perhaps “Pigs in the Hollow,” the songs are very enjoyable and great to head-bang to, but they grow old very fast. The only one with any lasting value is “Devil in Disguise.” Despite the predictable lyrics and song structure (clean guitars, building up to a heavy riff and solo in the middle), it does a great job of building up, and when the riff actually does kick in, it hits like a blow to the stomach. It also has one of the better solos on the disc. It isn't "Fade to Black," but it's certain better than "Trail of Tears."

However, because of the short shelf-life of most of the songs in here, it’s impossible to rate this highly. This album is the equivalent of a movie that you rent instead of buying because you can only view it and enjoy it a couple of times before it is relegated to collecting dust on a shelf. There are no “great” songs on here; this album is just a bunch of guys to play like they used to and have fun. Give it a listen or two if you can find it cheap, but don’t bother paying full price for it, for it will probably be out of your CD player in a month or two.

Bay Area Thrash Orgy! - 80%

olo, November 21st, 2007

I like Thrash Metal. I really fucking do. I've also wished to have been in the Bay Area around the mid-80s to have witnessed all the awesome underground bands having a ball. Some of them hit the big league. Most of those big league bands have even lost it now but with this genre, the second-tier bands led by the mighty Exodus and Testament are still at it . What's better for a fan of this genre than Chuck Billy, the vocalist of Testament getting together with the ex-Exodus vocalist Steve 'Zetro' Souza, hook up with their buddies from back in the days, form a band, get into the studio, put out an album and take it live too?


Dublin Death Patrol was what these guys were called back in the days because they all came from the small Californian town called Dublin, hung out and went to shows together. They've managed to put out an album filled with some of the songs they wrote back then, some new songs and some nostalgic covers. Apart from Chuck and Zetro, there are members from Laaz Rockit (Willy Lange on Bass), Tesla (Troy Luccketta on Drums), Vio-lence (Phil Dummel on guitars, also in Machine Head currently), his brother Andy Billy on guitars (from Chuck's pre-Testament band Rampage that also had Willy Lange) and a few others.

I've now listened to this about a dozen times because I didn't want to be overwhelmed by the relentless fanboy in me not letting me give it a rational review.

Chuck and Zetro trading vocals sounds as good as it does on paper and gives me goosebumps throughout. They're without a doubt two of the most unique and great vocalists in metal. Zetro with his Bon-Scott/Udo-gone-extreme nasal grunts and Chuck with heavier low end vocal style really complement each other. But that's not this is only about. Songs too, are well crafted, short and to the point for the most part with beerbanging riffs, ripping leads throughout and the essential groove that the rhythm section provides. This shit reeks of old-schoolness, with the sound in the Accept-with-punk-influence ball park. Special hats-off to the production. This hasn't got any of the worrying modern compressed-as-shit mix that everyone including the thrash bands favour. Though what Andy Sneap does has come out well for bands like Nevermore and the newer Exodus, I'm not really a fan of it. This album has the perfect production. Raw, in your face and very warm. Guitars sound heavy and ripping and drums sound very thumping real indeed.

It's a fact that for any genre to be good, it has to have influences from the greatest of the bands. The 70s had the first generation of guitar heroes to look upto and this era of heavy music still remains my all time favourite. The nostalgic covers that I mentioned earlier are Iron Fist (Motorhead), Lights Out (UFO) and Cold Sweat (Thin Lizzy). Thrash bands got their influences from them and the others from that era, the nwobhm bands and many from the various punk/hardcore scenes. It was a cool tip of the ol' hat but I'd still have preferred three of their own songs in that place to give it the perfect score.

Recommended if you like old school metal. Essential if you're a fan of the Bay Area thrash.

http://www.kvltsite.com

Not Quite What I Was Expecting - 82%

darkreif, June 25th, 2007

For fans of Bay Area thrash metal (more specifically the not as well known bands) Dublin Death Patrol is as close to a super group as you are going to get. Firstly, I'll make this point - this album is not the best thrash album ever, despite all the talented members and bands represented here. Secondly, this album was more or less completed for the fun of the members and really should be taken as such. Not really a "serious" band or album and if this is taken with a light heart then Dublin Death Patrol is awesome.

Also, the album is not balls out thrash. It's still very thrash in it's conception but there is still quite a bit of groove orientation and melody added to the mix that give the album more of a modern thrash feel then classic 80s Bay Area. Fans of the 80s scene are still going to revel in this release and it is worthy for a buy.

The guitar work is well performed and written although there isn't a whole lot of variety present on the album. There are great thrash riffs present along with some very catchy leads and solos. Even though the band has some 4 guitar players in the band credits (a whopping 11 members are credited with plenty giving guest performances on it too) one would think their would be quite a bit of variety in the guitar tone or sound and writing style but really its all quite similarly paced, played, and styled. When there is a bit of variety ("Devil in Disguise") its a nice change of pace and those tracks have a tendency to really stand out as some of the better tracks.

The bass and drums (despite once again multiple people credited) are not very diverse. The bass is, in thrash fashion, almost indistinguishable from the rest of the music even when there is a bass line intro that can of helps you look for the bass. The drums are grand and professional although nothing that is going to blow your mind. It works well for the music and is performed as such. Don't be surprised if you find yourself expecting a little more but being disappointed.

The best this about Dublin Death Patrol is hearing Chuck Billy and Steve Souza performing side by side and displaying their amazing thrash vocals. Billy performs his slightly more guttural vocals (think Low era Testament) whereas Souza performs his unique style of vocal abilities. Hearing them sing together in unison is a sound to behold and I relished in every minute of it. Whether taking turns or singing together, the vocals are definitely the high point of Dublin Death Patrol.

I think it should also be mentioned that the three covers the album are really well done and the album should be heard just for their covers. All three are classic songs and hearing them presented in this manner is amazing.

DDP 4 Life (by the ways - the title is awful. I hate when bands use numbers for words. Don't let the title fool you) is not quite as I was hoping it was going to be when I first heard of the project. It's good but I definitely had really high expectations for it and it didn't match those.

Songs to check out: DDP For Life, Trail of the Executioner, Devil in Disguise.

Not for my life, that's for sure - 35%

witchslayer, June 16th, 2007

Where do I begin? First, let's get the good things out of the way, before we talk about the bad things, the focus of this review. Dublin Death Patrol have members of Exodus, Vio-lence, and Testament (scattered applause). Also the musicianship is quite elevated, although we couldn't expect any less given the lineup here. For those of you with a bovine expression on your faces, it means that they are skilled musicians. Everything is played flawlessly, and with a great deal of technicality. There isn't a single mistake of execution on here, nor should there be, again considering who's behind it. Now let's talk about the downsides.

Man, this album sucks. Can there possibly be anything less interesting than uncatchy melodic metal? Sure there can, but that's hardly an excuse for the men who gave us Bonded by Blood or Eternal Nightmare. Ok I'll be reasonable, it's unfair to compare this to the various members' past works, but still. This album fails at songwriting, and fails hard. There aren't really any hooks on here, certainly not enough to warrant the money spent on the legal acquisition of this album. At times, this sounds like Tempo of the Damned, although about ten times less catchy, a rather difficult achievement if you ask me. I wouldn't even call this thrash, because although it shares various elements with real thrash, such as speed and fast tempo changes, it's too harmless and annoying to be categorized as thrash. I like my metal harsh. This is not harsh. If it has a lot of melody, it must be intelligent and well developed. Again, this falls short of that as well. The production is quite clean, and that can't ever be a good thing. Picture Testament, Exodus at their worst, and Metal Church thrown into a blender, then refined in the mixing process. Voila. You have DDP 4 Life.

Normally I would devote a paragraph to the actual songs, but I feel like doing so in this case would amount to a bunch of filler. There is nothing really to say about the various songs, aside from the fact that they're pretty much all boring. The riffs don't go anywhere, and there isn't a single exception to that to be found here. You have guitars, you have solos, you have drums, and alternating vocalists. Unfortunately, you don't have anything else. The guitars seem to be in standard tuning, or something very close. I can't say that any one instrument is particularly noticeable. That's about it, really. Just about the only cool thing about this album is "Sid Vicious", something that will make all of us oldschool punk fans take notice of this catastrophe. Not that the song is great, it isn't, but it did catch my attention, something the album as a whole did not manage to do. I am not an advocate of downloading music, and in fact I support the artists as often as I can. However, I would strongly urge anyone considering listening to this to grab a few tracks off the internet first before deciding whether to purchase the album or not. Something tells me you won't be compelled to. Then again, some people would even buy KISS albums. Avoid.