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Asphyx > Deathhammer > Reviews
Asphyx - Deathhammer

A Tale of Two Halves - 70%

lonerider, April 26th, 2023

The story of Dutch death metallers Asphyx is quickly told. After the early 1990s and the release of revered and genre-defining albums like The Rack and Last One on Earth, which fell right into the time when death metal really took off, they hit a bit of a creative funk. This coincided with an increasingly unstable line-up, particularly with regard to the microphone, where lead vocalist Martin van Drunen was replaced by a revolving door of different guys handling vocal duties. After disbanding and reforming several times over the years, Asphyx finally reunited with van Drunen to record 2009’s Death… The Brutal Way, widely received as a long-awaited comeback album and convincing return to form. Their line-up has been largely stable ever since and the band has enjoyed sustained success.

Even though Asphyx are a death-metal band first and foremost, they have always set themselves apart to some degree from many of their death-metal peers in that the Dutchmen’s trademark sound incorporates a large doom-metal component as well. With regard to Deathhammer (2012), the record is pretty much split in half: six tracks are more or less standard early-nineties death-metal fare, while the remaining four tracks—making up roughly 29 minutes of the album’s 47-minute duration—are predominantly doom metal.

Cutting straight to the chase, the band spending more time honoring their doom-metal heritage rather than their death-metal roots ends up benefiting Deathhammer to no small degree. Title track “Deathhammer” may be the best of the pure death-metal tunes, all of which are kept very short and to the point, featuring the usual blend of downtuned, heavily distorted guitars, simple yet crushing riffs, guttural vocals and quick “uffta uffta” rhythms going all the way back to death metal’s early days; since Asphyx are old-school to the core, blast beats are not a regular part of their repertoire. Early Death (rehearsal tapes right up to Scream Bloody Gore) seems to be a strong influence here, with Asphyx taking cues from Chuck Schuldiner’s artistic beginnings before Chuck gradually expanded his musical horizon and embarked on a slowly unfolding journey starting with Death’s second full-length Leprosy. On Deathhammer, this pronounced old-school approach makes for some basic hard-hitting death metal that’s well-executed and reasonably enjoyable. On the flip side, these songs give us little in the way of depth and tend to get boring rather quickly, offering simple three-minutes-and-a-cloud-of-dust pummeling but hardly anything else.

The true strength of Deathhammer clearly lies in the longer, doom-laden tracks, where Asphyx take their time to pound us with the sheer heft of their riffs and succeed in establishing a sense of foreboding and maintaining an altogether apocalyptic mood. “Minefield” is the first and probably the best of these songs, utilizing bulky riffs, long drawn-out guitar strums, hulking drums and haunting lead harmonies to create something truly massive and soul-shattering. “Der Landser” (a term referring to a common infantry soldier) follows very much in the same footsteps, albeit with a main riff that has an unexpected and quite infectious groove to it, as well as boasting a truly magnificent section beginning around the 4:40 mark where the band ventures close to funeral-doom territory. On “We Doom You to Death,” the driving main riff and steady marching beat of the drums again is the star of the show, whereas the no less heavy “As the Magma Mammoth Rises” goes for a little more variety by speeding things up for a while after around four minutes.

All things told, Deathhammer is a bit of a double-edged sword: the pure old-school death-metal cuts are executed nicely—which, for a bunch of grizzled veterans who helped develop the style, is to be expected—but are ultimately too generic, insubstantial and therefore mediocre. Where Asphyx really shine is during the longer, more fully fleshed out doom/death tracks. These are rather brilliant and a shorter album with only the four doom tracks and no more than maybe three or four death-metal cuts might have scored significantly higher. As it stands, Deathhammer is something of a mixed bag but still largely enjoyable overall.

Choicest cuts: Deathhammer, Minefield, Der Landser, We Doom You to Death

The more you know: “Vespa Crabro,” at 1:47 into the track, features a sample of what sounds like buzzing insects. Indeed, Vespa crabro is the generic term for the European hornet and the song’s lyrics address the often aggressive behavior of these large predatorial insects.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10 points

The deathhammer goes insane - 85%

Felix 1666, October 16th, 2016
Written based on this version: 2012, 2CD, Century Media Records (Mediabook, Limited edition)

No intro, no warning, no warm-up: just like the first song of the previous album, the explosive opener "Into the Timewaste" unleashes a violent storm in a matter of seconds. Asphyx open up Pandora's box of death and doom metal, but this time every kind of evil, sickness and death is highly welcome. The band makes no compromises in terms of brutality, precision and style. Any form of external influence does not show up, the deathhammer meets the doom anvil and that's it. Usually, the anvil is stronger than any blow of the hammer. Nevertheless, with regard to the here reviewed album, I prefer the death metal facet of the band - and rest assured, the deadly outbursts of anger are as heavy as the doom tracks. Moreover, they are simply better.

The short title track distinguishes itself in view of its irresistible flow, the rasping riffing and the catchy chorus with the galloping double bass. It is the prime example of the fast-paced tunes, because it bundles all their strengths. This means that fury and directness, belligerence and compactness meet on an equal footing. The campaign against softness, flabbiness and fickleness takes its course and the well oiled machinery of Asphyx is never in danger to begin to stutter. This applies at least for those tracks that avoid any form of quantitative excessiveness. Unlike the common visitors of Wacken who stumble across the fields in their oversized and multicoloured costumes, songs like "The Flood" or "Vespa Crabro" do not suffer from the smallest iota of fat. They occupy the territory where murder is precisely executed and despotism reigns. And there can be no doubt that van Drunen is the voice of the dictatorship. But this is the first undemocratic regency whose propaganda does not exclusively deliver good (but mostly untrue) news for its people. Quite the opposite, van Drunen announces only horrible (but mostly true) messages. For example, he sings about the reign of terror that took place in France in 1794. History is always a good inspiration for suitable metal lyrics and here they ennoble the swift and handy "Of Days When Blades Turned Blunt". But I admit that the similarly designed "Reign of the Brute" works excellently as well, although its apocalyptic lyrics have no concrete connection to reality.

The doom songs do not fully convince me. They fail to develop the profound degree of intransigence that a strong doom number needs, at least in my humble opinion. Yet there is an exception: the closer shows the brilliant combination of a strong riff and a slowly but steadily growing and intensifying song pattern. The song unites stoic guitar work with almost lethargic drumming, but the result speaks for itself.

I don't want to conceal the fact that the second CD of the mediabook edition is not essential. "Der Landser", equipped with German lyrics, is as unspectacular as its English original. I appreciate the fact that Asphyx offer a song in my native language, but from an objective point of view, this version does not contribute to the positive overall impression of the product. Only French guys, who intend to learn German by reading metal lyrics, will enjoy this song, but I don't think that there exist a lot of people in and around Paris who intend to do such a crude thing. (I admit that I wanted to refresh my miserable French language skills by studying the lyrical content of Forteresse's last album: complete failure!) The further content consists of alternative recordings of two album tracks and cover songs of Celtic Frost (naturally totally morbid, but not very exciting) and Majesty (furious). All in all, this bonus CD is a rather slack extra. But the regular album clocks in at 47 minutes, so there is no need for a huge additional section.

However, my conclusion relates first and foremost to the regular album. Due to the fact that the rabid, compressed speed songs gain the upper hand, the flawlessly produced "Deathhammer" is the first among equals, one step ahead of its predecessor and its successor. Highlights? I recommend all tracks of the regular edition that do not surpass the four minutes mark and "As the Magma Mammoth Rises".

Solid comeback! - 80%

dipym666, October 19th, 2014
Written based on this version: 2012, CD, Century Media Records (Enhanced)

I've wanting to do this review for a long time. For people who are not familiar with Asphyx, the Dutch foursome is one of the greatest death metal acts of all time. Of course, the band kind of had a revolving door policy with Bob Bagchus being the only member who was a constant. Being a co-founder of a band helps! Asphyx along with Thanatos and Pestilence were one of the early entrants into the early death metal scene in the early 90s' and; in addition to that, the fact they produced some memorable albums of all time gives them the right to be called as legends. They play uncomplicated and uncompromising death metal with riffs galore plus some doom influences and Deathhammer is no exception.

First of all, the production is bad on this album. The noise levels are too high leaving out any possibility of dynamic range (well, that is ancient history now). The vinyl may sound better. For the last decade or so, digitization and increased use of high levels during the CD manufacturing process have rendered the sound quality of many albums really bad. Bolt Thrower's 'honour valor pride' is another prime example. Barring that, Deathhammer is a solid slab of old school death metal, the way that death metal was supposed to be played. It is really heartening to see (and hear) that the veterans do not care about trends or anything remote that has to do with the industry. All they care about is playing solid death metal as they have done so for more than two decades now.

The album immediately grabs you with the first song, no intros, no build up, just all guns blazing in 'into the timewastes' with Van Drunen's suffocating growls taking center stage. Next up is the title track 'deathhammer' which is about the death metal creed and what’s going on in the metal scene these days. The short and booming track sets up the album nicely. Things slow down a bit in 'minefield' and 'der landser' with the band's doomy style glowing in all its glory, but it’s in 'we doom you to death' that the band takes it to another level. The straight up numbers like 'Of days when blades turned to blunt' and 'vespa crabro' may seem a little inferior when compared to the other songs, but it’s okay cause the bar is really set high here. The biggest surprise comes in the form of 'as the magma mammoth rises' where the band takes a turn into the atmospheric territory (does anyone hear some Immortal here?) where you go "WOW!!". It is indeed a fitting last track to a great album.

Special mention must be given to the great Martin Van Drunen here. The guy's singing since the Jurassic period and still he manages to pull off a spectacular performance. Let’s put it this way, you know its Drunen singing when you hear it. You won't mistake him for anyone else. One of the best releases of 2012. Asphyx is indeed truly back.

Dents me, but doesn't destroy me. - 70%

autothrall, January 12th, 2014

Deathhammer was one of those records which exploded upon arrival, seemingly all that anyone could talk about for a couple weeks, and seemed to reap in a lot of incredibly positive press. Occasionally mislabeled a 'comeback effort' (people have short motherfucking memories), it was the natural successor to Death...the Brutal Way and saw Asphyx once again dowse a pretty average set of riffs into a raw, phenomenal production aesthetic that dramatically increased their mileage. It's not a far cry in style from either of the first two Hail of Bullets records, to the point that I feel like the shared members must get confused when putting together their respective set lists, but where the riff progressions and grim, war-themed concept there really seem to come together for me, Deathhammer felt like it suffered from a bit of 'leftover syndrome'. That's not to say it's an album entirely without merit, because there's a genuine, hellish energy running through a lot of the track list that pairs up well with some of the more concise tunes, but considering how much buzz this had when it dropped like a bomb, I expected a whole lot fucking more...

Instead, it's basically a set of fairly traceable, predictable riffs descended not only back to the Dutchmen's own cult classics (Last One on Earth, or the unsung On the Wings of Inferno), but also Bolt Thrower muscle, early Death-like tremolo passages, Hellhammer chords and grooves, and there were even a few riff and vocal patterns (like "Deathhammer") where I kept thinking back to classic Slayer. There are a lot of samey songs throughout the album, in particular the faster 2-3 minute pieces, but these are fairly well contrasted to the slower, drudging chug or doom/groove fests such as "Der Landser", or "Minefield" which seemed like a mashup of Asphyx with Celtic Frost at points. Alas, I found the general rule here was that the slower the riffs moved, the more bare bones and boring they would become, to the point that several are really just 1-2 chords or notes bouncing around in repetition. Clever, but you're not the fucking Ramones! As a result, every time I felt energetically charged by this material, it would prove all too short lived...I'm fine with variation, I just wish that all the content, faster and slower, involved more creative rhythms and note choices which could keep me guessing. This is an effort that honestly seems to get by largely for the fact that the production of the guitars and vocals sounds monstrous, and that's a trend I've noticed a lot lately with many of the umpteeth-generation Swedish-sounding bands and Autopsy/Incantation hybrids...the 'sound' trumps the 'structure'.

But, hey, that's what a lot of death metal fans want, and it's not always a bad thing. An audience once hooked on expansion, experimentation and extremity seems to have settled into a desire for the familiar and inoffensive. I'm not entirely exempting myself from this, since I'm pretty evenly into both the old school and tech/death sides of the death metal medium, but I've always been about the songs first, and no matter how formulaic or 'sure bet' these entries to the Asphyx legacy were, I simply could not be bothered to remember them a mere 2-3 weeks after the album came out. Perhaps I was a little burned out after Of Frost and War, Death...the Brutal Way and On Divine Winds had come out, and this album didn't offer much more than reruns, but even listening to it now with a fresher perspective hasn't aged it very well. Tunes like "Into the Timewaste", "Deathhammer" and "The Flood" are all pretty decent, and I can't help but enjoy that fulfilling guitar tone, the vice-like potency of Bob Bagchus' drums, or even the simplicity about which they conceive a few of the riffs; but I always felt it lacked some of the emotive, crushing power of other recent recordings by some of the same members, and there were many times I wished the notes had just gone off in some other direction than taking the pretty bland, ordinary route that they do...

I don't wanna be too hard on Deathhammer, because it is indeed a successful enough record due to the production and presentation. I certainly like this as much as The Rack, or either of their mid-90s albums with the fragmented lineups. Most of the lyrics are solid, except "Deathhammer" itself which is a pretty typical 'get off my lawn' sort of thing where, you know, only the TRUE death metal bands rule and everyone else is a poseur just obviously in it for the money! That's right, dudes, tune in to next season of MTV Cribs where we'll get to tour the mansions and estates of chart-busting brutal death metal bands... A few of the lyrical themes feel a little redundant with the more consistently conceptual wartime accounts of Hail of Bullets, but Asphyx did it earlier. I also thought this was one of, if not the best cover arts Axel Hermann did for this band, and the Dan Swanö mix does a superb job at capturing that raw, visceral thrill of Last One on Earth and catapulting it forward 20 years, which, when you think of it, really seems to be the point of the whole album. Yet, there are some pretty 'meh' tunes throughout, in particular the pair from the Reign of the Brute EP fuckery early in the year, and this is just nowhere near the level I would have expected from the early excitement I experienced surrounding its release. It's great to hear a veteran metal band like this forging on in the new century, but I'd prefer they tried to surpass themselves rather than just play 'catch up' to where they already were at a younger age, and this doesn't quite do that beyond the advancements and availability in/of studio wizardry.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

My K-Drama Soundtrack - 92%

OzzyApu, November 10th, 2013

What goes well with a soapy Korean drama? Bubbly death metal that sounds like total destruction. Asphyx’s colossal, scorching death metal warps itself into Grand Supreme Blood Court and Hail Of Bullets, so nowadays it’s like hearing the same band three times. Knowing that I was going to get pulverized no matter which song I heard, I went right ahead to the last track, “As The Magma Mammoth Rises,” because of the name. A name and track length like those indicate meaty, oozing riffs, substantial bass, artillery-loud drums, and barbaric roars in innumerable weight. Most of the songs on here are fast and this one certainly picks up the pace at times, but this is the kind of song that is the epitome of massive. From the blaring, razor-sharp guitar tone to Van Drunen’s bloodcurdling, tortured growl, this song is one intense motherfucker.

That’s Asphyx’s forte in this current era. In the older days there were plenty of line-up changes and album inconsistencies, but this incarnation has their shit honed in on this dread assault of tightly distorted, grimy death metal. My fascination with this album and that sound actually came after my Hail Of Bullets and Asphyx listening rotation died down. When I got into Korean shows I was annoyed how there wasn’t music that properly captured the anger of the lead male actors during the course of a show. For some reason, my emotions gravitated toward music that would fit the wrath and revenge these male leads had during (usually cheesy or romance-oriented) scenes. I yearned for something that was immense, atmospheric, and full of thunderous power. I guess when I scanned through what I had, Asphyx was the first name that came up that fit exactly what I wanted, with this album in particular zeroed in. So I popped on the title track and everything else followed.

It’s so fitting, evocative, authoritative, and full of woeful harmonies that does the old era justice. Paul Baayens is at his prime delivering riffs the size of oceans. The album’s modern production job is pristine in this regard, an asset to this band in this age. Typically I’d be a little against bands going for the overly loud, modern production since it strips away the atmosphere and sounds too mechanical. Asphyx / Hail Of Bullets / Grand Supreme Blood Court make use of this loud, polished job (supervised by Dan Swanö). Swanö helps deliver that crushing guitar tone and is responsible for the bite that comes with it. It only gets thicker when things slow to a doomy pace (basically all the long songs on here). “Der Landser” for instance starts with a violent, suffocating riff supplied by hefty bass support to give even more muscle. It lurches with this apocalyptic tone; the guitars go off like bombs. There’s this velocity and impact with everything – through the bursting short songs to the attritional extensive tracks – that makes Deathhammer consuming.

You’ll always been in for something devastating yet catchy: the bass break and groovy riff thereafter on “Into The Timewaste,” the title track’s sinister signature of a riff and brutish attitude, the battle-drum fills in “We Doom You To Death,” and the explosive tail to the main riff in “As The Magma Mammoth Rises”. Deathhammer is no slouch and it’s damn amazing how this circle of Dutchmen are able to churn out quality death metal albums between three bands at such a rate. As heavy as this album is, it isn’t brutal nor technical to become a tiring listening. It isn’t a flawless album, but it certainly proves something - that the Dutch pump out cool death metal.

metal-army.com - 75%

RidgeDeadite, May 28th, 2012

Asphyx has been around since 1987, but in 2000 they largely disappeared from the scene. Then, in 2007, they came back and shortly after recorded an album called Death… The Brutal Way. Now they are aiming to bring back the glory days of old school death metal with their new album Deathhammer. Right away, this album is quite the eye opener. Noteworthy that they infuse doom metal into their death/thrash hybrid, this is shown throughout the album and makes it stand on its own in the metal community.

Martin van Drunen has a voice that makes a person’s throat itch just by listening to it. The drums on the first track “Into The Timewastes” is fast and heavy double kick death metal, but it has a steady rhythm like doom metal. The guitars have quite a bit of distortion, almost to black metal standards, but play at the death metal pace. They continue down this similar song writing style throughout the album, such as the next track “Deathhammer.” This is one of those tracks where you know people will be going to the hospital at one of their concerts. Even faster than the last track, there is a healthy dose of pummeling metal to be heard. But it doesn’t deviate much from the last track.

The doom metal starts kicking in with “Minefield.” The behemoth monster of the album, it starts by painting a distorted atmosphere, then the drums come in and start building the foundation from the ground up. Progressing with slow tempo guitars and Martin’s throat shredding vocals, it eventually finds a groove around the 2:20 mark. From there, it goes back to an atmospheric feel but with higher notes, only to go back into that heavy noise that we all love. For a surprise, be sure to listen to “Der Landser.” Definite high point of the album.

The downside of this album is that all of the death metal parts sound the same. The drums have no exploring values at all and the same could almost be said for the guitars. The doom metal is where this album wins. Some of the best doom that money can buy. Make sure you preview the album before you buy.

Sidenote: I honestly think that there are parts in this album that he was growling to the point that blood was shed. Now that’s metal.

This is true death metal you bastards! - 89%

Andromeda_Unchained, May 11th, 2012

How could this have not been awesome? Asphyx are one of the coolest death metal bands around, and here we have their eighth full-length release: Deathhammer. Here we see van Drunen and the lads proudly flying the flag for true death metal, waving the middle finger proudly to the modern bands, whilst steamrolling anything else in its way.

The album opens up rather abruptly, no need for introduction, just crushing raw death metal. Martin van Drunen proudly spews forth a virulent storm of lyrical violence, whilst the band burns your face with an acidic guitar tone, muscular bass lines and earthy, raucous-sounding drums. The albums title track is a particularly awesome number, with van Drunen proudly bellowing "This is true death metal you bastards" before the warzone opens up. I'm not one to quote lyrics in a review, but he really does lay the smack-down on lesser bands in this track here:

Vocals so poor, like frogs in a moor
Guitars like clouds of fruit flies
Where's the bass sound, drums hat don't pound
Hear how our iron church cries
They don't give a fuck, just collecting bucks
Acting like statues on stage
Our final call to all those false
We summon thou bastards to rage

In the hands of an inexperienced band and a lesser vocalist this style of lyrics would come off as fairly cheap aggression, but this is fucking Asphyx and they can tell it however they wish. This album certainly serves as the remedy to a lot of the poor modern death metal acts I hear (especially the sterile technical crap). Deathhammer boasts a great balance between the bands leviathan, crushing death/doom numbers and of course your face-smashing death metal crunchers. The track-listing has been well conceived too with a great balance between the band's style. Standouts would include the aforementioned title track, the unsubtle "We Doom You to Death" and the gargantuan "As The Magma Mammoth Kisses".

Overall Deathhammer is a great death metal album, giving on a archaic doomy stench. Fans of the last Autopsy will no doubt eat this up, but for my money I'd give the edge to this. This is certainly one of the finest albums I've heard in the genre this year, and along with Horrendous' latest opus is essential for fans of the style. Whilst I do enjoy some of the more modern bands, you just can't beat the old school sound and you can tell Asphyx well and truly love and worship their genre.

Originally written for http://www.metalcrypt.com

Arrrghhhhhhhh - 95%

dismember_marcin, March 19th, 2012

If you’ve ever been wondering what the point was in bringing Asphyx back to life, the answer for this question lies in “Deathhammer” album and to be more precise, it’s in the lyrics for the title track. Let me quote the first verse:
“Decades ago, a time now long gone, death metal had its pure form. So easy then amongst global friends, a bold scene never to conform. Changes set in, pollution begins, despicable developments. The duty to return and make all traitors burn, on to your knees and repent…”
It seems like those guys took a mission, which was to show everyone how this music should sound like and also to show that the old veterans still have the guts and energy as well as the passion for this style of metal. And death metal must be in your blood, if you still slaughter the maniacs with this music at the age of 30 or 40, right? And myself, as a fan of the band since the early 90’s I can be only proud of them and say how happy I am to hear such amazing albums as the two, which Asphyx have recorded since their reformation. But for “Deathhammer” the task wasn’t so easy. “Death… the Brutal Way” has putted the bar very high, I loved this LP and consider it to be my favourite of all Asphyx’s albums, so to release something what would be even better was almost impossible job to do. And “Deathhammer” isn’t as great as its predecessor. But it’s still absolutely amazing album, one which I also consider a real highlight in the band’s discography and which goes to my top three of all Asphyx albums straight away. I’ve been waiting to hear it, didn’t want to spoil it with shitty mp3’s as I was going to purchase a vinyl copy of corpse, which is finally in my hands. But I was kind of confused with so many different versions of the LP (there’re five different colours of the vinyl available, each from another distributor, which is weird, really). In the end I opted for the red colour from Cyclone Empire. Sadly the LP hasn’t got any bonus tracks, which I know are on some of the CD editions, but there’s something like a download card, which allows me to download two live tracks from the website. They’re “Bloodswamp” and “The Incarnation of Lust”. It’s cool to have it also, but I would rather have something on the vinyl, not on mp3.

The music of Asphyx yet again left me speechless. When the first songs have went by, I was just standing there with mouth opened, in admiration that these Dutch legends have done it one more time. It was like a shock at first, but I quickly woke up and simply started doing the one and only thing, which you should have been doing while listening to “Deathhammer” – and it is banging the head with relentless, maniacal frenzy. This album just starts like it wanted to crush you down right from the beginning and so “Into the Timewastes” is amazingly brutal, yet kind of groovy and catchy song, where the vocals just start right from the first second, so it is also like Asphyx wanted “Deathhammer” to sound like a continuation of “Death… the Brutal Way”. And it does fuckin work. The thing is if you don’t like the opening song, then there’s nothing else to look for you on this album. If this song doesn’t move you, then play something else, as the whole “Deathhammer” also won’t please you, but it does work for me in the best possible way. The title track brings even more energy and I cannot imagine a better opening for the album than this. “Deathhammer” turns out to be one of the best songs from the whole album, it is just killer stuff and I already can imagine the fury under the stage, when Asphyx will play it live. “Minefield” is literally like walking the mind field hehe, but not in the sense of aggression and slaughter this song brings, but because of its sorrowful atmosphere. This is the first doomy track on the LP and I love it. It has excellent riffs, which are the classic, melodic and asphyxiating riffs, in the vein of cult “The Rack” and that’s why I consider this to be my favourite song from the whole album. And if someone would ever doubt that Paul Baayens is not the rightful successor of Eric Daniels, then listen to the amazing lead in this song. This is classic Asphyx! “Of Days When Blades Turned Blunt” is more speedy song, but relatively mediocre in the Asphyx standards and “Der Landser” (with yet another Second World War related lyrics) puts the music back in the doomy mood and I love it.

Side B has two songs, which I didn’t expect to find here, but which I welcomed with open arms, fingers shaped in horns and head banging again. They are two tracks, which appeared originally on 7’EPs, which I couldn’t buy because the prices of them were cosmic and I felt like someone just wants to use the popularity of the band to earn some easy bucks on the e-bay by tripling the prices (rot in hell, greedy motherfuckers). “Reign of the Brute” from the recent 7”EP is great song really and I would love to have that EP, but I haven’t, so it’s good to hear this track on “Deathhammer”. The riffing is again relentless, aggressive and horrifyingly possessing. And “We Doom You to Death” (originally from the split EP with Hooded Menace) belongs to my favourite songs of Asphyx ever and definitely is one of the highlights of “Deathhammer”. The main riff here is just crushing and the whole is very catchy and 666% old school. “The Flood” also belongs to my favourites and there’s no resist from these riffs; and there’s no rest from the headbanging! And finally “As the Magma Mammoth Rises” finishes the album in best possible way, which will leave your jaw three floors under, with the epic, damn massive riffs and consistent heaviness.

I must say Asphyx yet again managed to compose killer songs, but the whole “Deathhammer” wouldn’t be as successful if it wasn’t for the production. It is superb; especially the guitar tone is one of the best ever, very heavy and powerful. The whole album sounds so crispy and aggressive and is so energetic that it is unbelievable. Definitely it is one of the best produced death metal albums I’ve ever heard. And Martin van Drunen again proved to be one of the very best vocalists, his shrieking and one of the kind growls are excellent and strong, with great arrangements and lyrics. Man, it seems like there are no negative aspects of “Deathhammer”… The album is near perfection and the only fault that I can find here is that “Death… the Brutal Way” was slightly more killer that this one.

Bow down to the Deathhammer! - 90%

Roswell47, February 29th, 2012

When it comes to death metal, fans usually tend to fall into two different camps. There are those who love cold, calculated, technical brutality; and then there are those who prefer their death metal raw, human, and "old-school." I personally love both ends of the spectrum and everything in between. However with it's newest release, Deathhammer, Dutch old-schoolers Asphyx make it impossible to doubt the appeal of raw, in-your-face simplicity. Deathhammer is Asphyx's second album since its reformation in 2007. After a long hiatus, Death...the Brutal Way surfaced in 2009 and proved to any naysayers that Asphyx still had what it takes. Now, Asphyx has managed to one-up that album with Deathhammer.

When I listen to Deathhammer I can't help but envision a world where the sun is choked out by foul black smoke. Battlefields stretch as far as the eye can see. Mammoth tanks rumble by with the sound of barbed-wire and human remains alike crunching and popping beneath their treads. Heavy artillery rains down from the heavens. There is no safe place to stand. Death and destruction are in every direction. Nothing can survive here. Well, you get the picture. Asphyx accomplishes this oppressive atmosphere with some pretty simple but tried and true tools: catchy riffs, amazing tone, and tons of attitude. Deathhammer is certainly loaded with these. Asphyx basically alternate between two different song styles throughout Deathhammer. There are fast, to-the-point, head-bang-inducing tunes like "Into the Timewastes," "Deathhammer," and "Vespa Crabro." Then there are the slower, doomy, atmospheric tunes like "Minefield," "Der Landser," and "We Doom You to Death." The changing pace of the album helps keep things interesting throughout its duration. While it seems that there are no new riffs under the sun, Asphyx somehow manages to write simple songs that are both fresh and unforgettable. As one might expect, Martin van Drunen's vocals are full of emotion and attitude. His voice is definitely a focal point for Asphyx. The guitar tone is magnificent and is especially jaw-dropping in the slower songs. The atmospheric, slow eerie riffs in "Minefield" and "Der Landser" will make listeners' skin crawl. The slow ringing chords in "We Doom You to Death" and the sustained lead in "Der Landser" further utilize the awesome tone. Asphyx even enters into old Celtic Frost territory with some low, suffocating chugging in "Minefield" and "We Doom You to Death." The super-thick bass guitar helps flesh out the sound even more through the whole of Deathhammer. There's even some fuzzy, fat bass rumble that really stands out in "Into the Timewastes." The drums also have an extremely deep tone and add an extra layer to the already impossibly thick bottom end. The simple yet tasteful drumming contributes loads of driving power to the faster songs and a rumbling sense of doom to the slower tunes.

While I love my technical death metal, Asphyx brings an attitude and energy to the table that no technical band could match. Deathhammer beats the pants off of pretty much any modern death metal band doing the old-school throwback thing these days. Heck, Deathhammer matches and probably even surpasses both Death...the Brutal Way and anything by Hail of Bullets. Deathhammer is essential. "Bow down to the Deathhammer! On your knees!"

Originally written for http://www.metalpsalter.com

Deathhammer Shakes the Earth! - 90%

Insinneratorvokills, February 28th, 2012

They could build monuments to how brutal this band is. This album is, in short, "Death...the Brutal Way" on steroids; well... more steroids per say. If you are not immediately familiar with these guys, they are from the Netherlands, and play doom death heavy enough to cause tidal waves in Asia and upset lunar activity.

The album kicks off with the best kind of Asphyx riff right from the first second. Those crushing almost crusty power chord riffs match up perfectly with the old school death metal vocals! Another thing is that the first track also comes in with vocals right away, which is usually a dangerous tactic, but matches up perfectly. That really gives the album a strong start from the get go. And right when your neck starts to get sore its is time to mosh it up! A little after the one minute mark there is a bass break that goes into some down beat moshing death. "Into the Timewaste" is such a good song to start the album with.

The other the option would be to start with the title track "Deathhammer". They really keep up the speed in this song and keep it up although it is a short track. This song is obviously written to be the crowd pleaser. If that thought doesn't cross your mind when the chorus hits with the single vocal line; the thirty second mark in this song will. There is a guitar break and the vocalist says something that is completely not part of any verse and sounds like something that should only be done live, it sounds he is saying "This is true death metal ya bastards!". And by the third track is when the mighty DOOOOOM kicks in.

From this point in the album it goes back an forth between fast and doom; or reg OSDM an doom death. The way things go back and forth here is actually pretty key because it would have been pretty awkward if one half of the album was doomy and the other faster. That would lead people to skip part of the album depending on what kind of mood they are in. And on the subject of doom, there is a song entitled "We Doom You To Death" on here that seems a little comical for a song title, but could not be more appropriate. When you listen to it; it goes from doom to upbeat mid tempo doom thrash, then back to doom. That is just such incredible song writing on their part.

There is a very good reason these guys have made it as far as they have. This album is a new release of amazing old school doom death. It is hard to believe that it is just February and every release this year has been just magnificent. Deathhammer has really been the icing on the cake so far this year!


Favorite Tracks: Deathhammer, Into the Timewaste, The Flood, We Doom You To Death

Get Hammered - 93%

televiper11, February 28th, 2012

For Asphyx to triumphantly reunite in 2007 with Martin Van Drunen back in the fold seemed improbable enough. But for Death... The Brutal Way to smash all expectations of a return to form, well, that was a pleasant bonus. So rarely do these reunions hold enough water to last a tour cycle or two; or worse spawn a sub-par offering unable to hold weight with classic predecessors. Asphyx dodged this hail of bullets admirably. Now firmly ensconced as a powerfully capable working unit, one of the few classic bands left to expand rather than contract their legacy upon reactivation, they give us Deathhammer, a record even stronger than their previous one.

"Into The Timewastes" dead-drops into irrevocable thrashing nightmares of endless sci-fi horror -- the classic Asphyx effect in full flush: crust-inflected thrash segueing into reeking doom with MVD's bloody snarls harrowing forth dark barbs of lyrical terror. There's a muddy bass break that leads directly into these great double-bass chugs and already my jaw is hanging on the floor: so simple, so heavy, so catchy! Barely a second passes before we are blitzed with the "Deathhammer" itself, an insanely infectious piece of frothing d-beat that features a chorus so memorable it will live in my memory forever. When MVD barks "This is real death metal, you bastards!" you can't help but bang your head in agreement. "Minefield" is the first slow-crawl through barbwire number that Asphyx absolutely invented and perfected -- the opening riff is so colossally mournful, choked on a pervasive gloom yet also subtly beautiful. From here the record steady alternates between racing thrash numbers and dark doomy epics. Highlights include "We Doom You To Death" with its sick-as-fuck twisted riffage. The damn-near tribal drum passages of "Reign Of The Brute," a song that smacks you in the face repeatedly. And "As The Magma Mammoth Rises," the greatest epic Asphyx has written since "The Rack" with a huge hypnotic riff that coils and uncoils relentlessly like a snake preparing to strike. God, these riffs just suck the oxygen right out of the room! Paul Baayens has clearly elevated his game, becoming the perfect replacement for Eric Daniels with his catchy-as-sin sledgehammer riffing and tortured lead playing. Above all this, Van Drunen delivers yet another fantastic vocal performance, demonstrating with ease why he is among the most singular, powerful, and popular death metal vocalists of all-time.

The production on this record is solid, perhaps a touch too clean, with drums forward, bass evident, guitars pitched in balance, and the vocals anchored out front. The grey tones of corrosive atmosphere so present on previous recordings aren't quite as evident now but the record still sounds great with a crisp modern patina of reinterpreted old-school heaviness.

If you love old-school death metal with dense heavy rhythms, leaden doom passages, flesh-crawling riffs that flay your ears, and tortured vocals lifted straight from the catacombs, then Asphyx is probably one of your favorite bands already and Deathhammer stands strongly in their canon of Van Drunen fronted classics.

Like a Minefield in Your Head - 85%

Nihilistic Rust, February 27th, 2012

Asphyx's new album, Deathhammer, is like a sledgehammer to the teeth, from the beginning to the end. From its apt cover art, where some heavily wounded and torn bloke unleashes Lovecraftain abominations and spirits to feast on our world, to the final track, that slowly burns you in scorching volcano-spit. Every song simply grabs you by your spine from the front and bashes you in rugged concrete until every bone is shattered and every organ is burst.

As soon as you enter the cruel timewastes, cryptic beasts introduce your face to a skull- splitting mace and a stampede greets every fiber of your being. Fast paced death metal supremacy fucks you into dust. Deathhammer(itallics needed) brings forth thrashy death riffs that maul you into submission, piss on you, and then bury you alive in some doomy moments. And then, you step onto a minefield. An epic sludge dirge that truly shows the opening of this unholy chasm of explosive rancor. A brilliant guitar tone that takes your feeble corpse and places it on the table of a sadistic killer, that slowly disembowels you while peeling off your flesh, with morbidity sparkling in his eyes. His blade eventually turns blunt, and he starts hitting your head with some more fast and typical death-doom madness.

"Der Landser" is another "dirge," remindful of that minefield. The brute stomps on you like a cockroach and then the flood fills every orifice you have with thick, sludgy filth. "We Doom You to Death" is probably the second best song on this album, that heavily reminds me of Last One on Earth. It has one or two basic riffs, but they're executed perfectly along the heavy drums and the raspy vocals. "Vespa Crabro" is a small stop before you face the igneous gem of the album: "As the Magma Mammoth Rises." A behemoth whose skin is made of perdition, his eyes ablaze and his breath fire. Hurling fireballs at your feeble form, it's truly the highlight of the album. It combines all the good stuff of this album; the thrash, the doom, and the death, and together cements it into a colossal beast that burns and annihilates everything with brutality.

In a non-metaphoric way, this album is genius. Combining excellent riffs and licks of Baayens with Bagchus' excellent simplistic (but powerful) drumming, Zuur's dense auricular "basscraft," and of course, Van Drunen's tortured and guttural voice is as memorable as it gets, this album is a death/doom masterpiece. The only flaw in this album is that it gets somewhat repetitive at times, but this is fucking Asphyx. That's part of the charm. It is a brilliant release and if you like your ears getting crushed by sonic artillery, this is your perfect place to be shelled into oblivion.

Originally posted at http://curseofthegreatwhiteelephant.blogspot.com/