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Dew-Scented > Inwards > Reviews
Dew-Scented - Inwards

Ignoramus - 90%

Felix 1666, August 21st, 2019

Don't ask me why, but I always ignored Dew-Scented, even though I knew that they make music that I like. I just did not have enough time. Roughly 1865 great bands, but only one Felix. This mismatch could not remain without consequences. So now it's time for active repentance. "Inwards", the full-length from 2002, is a mind-blowing demonstration of permanent power, well-controlled brutality and violent euphoria. The music does not only illustrate the strength of the combination of thrash and death metal. It also makes clear that a seemingly one-dimensional approach does not exclude dynamic and liveliness. The Germans avoid monotony and this alone separates them from many competitors who are seeking salvation in pure or somehow combined death metal.

Who should lend an ear to an album that was released 17 years ago, in particular in view of the fact that its creators are no longer active under the then used name? Well, first things first, "Inwards" has a timeless production. Producer Andy Classen, formerly known as the husband of Holy Moses' Sabina, has forged this wall of sound that overcomes any form of resistance. The album sounds voluminous, tight, aggressive, direct and dense. Honestly, this is exactly the sound this kind of music needs - and I forgot to mention that the vocals on the one hand and the instrumentation on the other hand are well-balanced. In terms of the musical content, this album leads Dismember and Slayer to the altar in order to marry and give birth to many ugly children that hail this kind of music. Dew-Scented are no typical Teutonic band, they sound very international without losing their identity. Due to the technical competences and the effectiveness of the riffs, the band is not at risk to fail in terms of individuality. The guys also understand to present their mostly very fast-paced songs with an homogeneous flow and so there are enough features that shape the specific characters of their music, even though the raw and slightly inflexible voice of the lead singer does not add a special note.

It's hardly possible to identify highlights. Imagine that ten cannons fire at ten houses, you see the ruins and then you are forced to say which house has the biggest damage. In other words, jagged and sharp-edged riffs show up constantly during the entire playtime, the drummer sees no sense in stopping his violent activities - blast beats not excluded - and the whole unit enjoys its remarkable compactness. Maybe this abruptly starting massacre is five minutes too long, but maybe it is rather true that I become too old for this kind of merciless murder. Both is possible - even at the same time. However, if I try to make a difference between the single cannon shots, it might be that "Bitter Conflict", the title track and "Terminal Mindstrip" stand out. Yet it also can be that tomorrow I prefer three different tracks, because there are absolutely no fillers. Anyway, one thing cannot be denied: Dew-Scented avoid melodies without any kind of negative consequences, because the riffs do the talking and they do it nearly always in a brilliant manner. Bottom line, young metalheads should look out for this and further albums of the band. Too bad that the guys, who always chose a title beginning with the letter I, never dedicated an album to me. "Ignoramus" would have been a suitable name.

Way To Go Florian Muller!! - 80%

Stein23, December 22nd, 2010

Three years after their last release, Ill-Natured, Dew-Scented upgraded their name in the Metal world by extensively touring. That was the main reason why the German giant label, Nuclear Blast Records, were very interested in their local act and signed Dew-Scented with the release of the band's fourth album: Inwards. Probably what made Inwards so special, in comparison to their previous albums, is the fact that the band's only guitarist at that time, Florian Muller, entirely wrote all of the riffs. With his musical modus and wild stamina, Inwards is one of Dew-Scented's paramount albums. In that period of time, Inwards was Dew-Scented's best work. During the Inwards phase, the changes that went over the band, whether they tuned up to modern Thrash or whether it was the amazing production by Andy Classen, had the band pointed in a direction promising for a fine future.

Unlike the band's past albums, this album shows that Dew-Scented didn't attempt to make any slow moves as energy was vastly spilled. Inwards presents Dew-Scented as a modern Thrash company that had focused its music on aggressive speed. That is why these guys, who once were more affiliated with Death, came closer to being a new, modern, yet extreme, version of Slayer. Muller's unforgiving rhythms and enticing finishing will take you back to albums such as Seasons In The Abyss, Divine Intervention, and other Slayer albums after 1990. You can say that Muller's style, from Inwards and on, defined Dew-Scented's Metal for the rest of the way, and even after he departed from the band six years later. However, as for Inwards, it was Muller's first full scale project, so it can be expected that not everything will be perfect. Besides the issue of being repetitive in various moments, and not being based on modest structures enough, the solos took a turn towards the uncreative.

Although there were shortcomings, you have to give it up for Florian Muller, as he was a major element of what Inwards became in the end. With a great collaboration between his Thrashy manner and the improved outline of the monstrous Leif Jensen and the rest of the guys, Dew-Scented created several of tracks that should be burned into one's head. Such tracks such as "Bitter Conflict" & "Unconditional" that started a new era for the band with a massive strike, and "Inwards" & "Degeneration" come as the most extreme constructive tracks, and "Blueprints Of Hate" & "Feeling Not" are Thrashy German headbangers with no mercy. As for bonus material, Metal Mind Productions offered a cover version of Dew-Scented to the legendary track "War Ensamble" by Slayer. Overall, Metal Mind Productions did well on the remastering of this album and for choosing to highlight an underrated band.

Written by me on www.metalexpressradio.com

Fun, but no variation whatsoever - 70%

OakenHelm, January 19th, 2008

The oddly-monickered Dew-Scented play a very energetic form of death-thrash with no frills at all. Those looking for the latest avant-garde masterpiece best look elsewhere. For those who can't get enough thrash, however, Dew-Scented are a more than worthy addition to a collection. I first heard these guys when I downloaded th song "Bitter Conflict" from....somewhere. Anyway, the song was pretty good and the artwork intrigued me, so I bought it. Fortuitously, "Bitter Conflict" happened to be the first song, so everything started well.

Then came "Unconditional" and I thought to myself "hmm, this is pretty good, but...not that different from "Bitter Conflict." And then "Life Ending Path" started and....well, you get the point. To be blunt, there is nothing to really differentiate the songs from one another. When Dew-Scented kick it into high gear and really start blasting, the results are virtually indistinguishable from any other ridiculously fast part.

However, on the other side of the coin, even though the songs are very same-y and formulaic, making an album of essentially one song repeated 10 times, that one song sure does kick a hell of a lot of ass. Solos aplenty, drums thunder, vocals snarl, you get the picture. Kick-ass thrash up there with the best of them. Production is oddly bassy, and everything could stand to be a little clearer, but nothing that can't get cleaned up with a better budget (and these factors would in fact be remedied on future releases).

Dew-Scented know exactly what kind of music they want to play, and don't fuck around with the formula. At all. While the music is pretty awesome, the utter one-dimensionality of the music holds this album back. Nevertheless, if you want an energetic, head-bang inducing thrash album, this is one of the best.

Thrashing mad - 90%

Thrash_Till_Death, January 21st, 2003

While the bands name will most likely make you laugh or question how heavy they can be, popping this cd on will change that in seconds. This is one awesome cd, which will have you headbanging from start to finish. Its very thrashy music, with some death metal elements and the vocals are what bring the death into the band. The vocals are about the only thing wrong with this, as they don't offer much, but still is very enjoyable. Well for some people, the lack of variety may be annoying, but to me its a moot point.

The cd opens with the fast track Bitter Conflict which is a good opener and shows you what to expect for the next 30 minutes. Next up is Unconditional(not prong, hehe), which has some cool riff work at the start and good build up spots during the song. Life Ending Path comes thundering in next and this track blows me away everytime I pop this cd in. It has killer drumwork and by now the standard awesome riffs. This song features one hella awesome part, which is the bridge to the chorus, which is just pure headbanging action. I CAN'T DIE, SACRIFICIAL ECSTASY!!!! From here, the cd is basically like the songs before, which is fast and thrashy as hell, with great riffs and pounding double bass.

In closing, this is in my top 5 cds for 2002 and as someone said to me, they believe it to be the best thrash album since seasons in the abyss. I wouldn't quite say that, but it definetly is high up on the list of best thrash cds in the last 5 years or so. If you don't have this, BUY IT!!

best songs imo: life ending path, blueprints of hate & feeling not.