Stardate 12/01/2024 02:12 

I was taken aback after hearing this! What a speed/thrash killer release! Vocals sound a little like Warbringer's vocalist but a little bit different and the music is top notch. I totally dig the riffs on this one. Definitely innovative for them being that this is my first exposure to this band. I enjoyed the album immensely! Though, there's too many solos for my taste. But the intensity is on just about every track! With exceptions, of course. This album has the grit to be strong the whole way through! I think that's it's deserving of a "B" rating overall. I found it to be straightforward and consistently good!

I really like a lot of the riffs they're spewing out on their guitars! They sound great: It's perfect crunch tone for quality playing. The whole album seems to be strong with consistent riffs that makes the songs flow like an ever flowing stream! This band is quality and they have many years to go in this genre. Another thing I like about this one is that it's pretty raw. Kind of like Metallica's 'Kill 'Em All' (1983) but not as much, still as a comparison it seems to be like that sound. This band plays some pretty fast and technical riffs.

As I talked about, the production is good just the guitars and sound is raw. But that doesn't ruin the magic of this release. I would take out excessive leads but that's just me. It's another reason why I marked points off from the score. But the vocals fit well with the music. In that respect, it's solid. I'm not a fan of the lyrical concepts, just the music. That seems to be the strongest aspect as to what's going on here. Their music is what drew me into this release. The band has some other albums out that I haven't listened to yet. Actually heard about them from a buddy of mine.

I had to order this CD because I'm hearing way much of what I'm into with thrash/speed metal bands. And just discovering this band by word of mouth makes me want to get all their releases! But anyway, you can listen to the digital or like me show support for the band and buy the physical copy of this album. I still collect CD's so I made sure to get it! There are just so many highlights to this release and the energy is top notch up there! That's what you have to love about this band, their strength in songwriting and aura they send to the listener. Check them out!

Rating: 8½ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Death8699
06/13/2022 18:54

Related websites:
The official Dead Head website :: www.deadhead.nl
Hammerheart Records website :: www.hammerheart.com

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Dead Head
(Netherlands)

album cover
Swine Plague
1. Helhuizen (03:03)
2. Dühr (04:47)
3. Palfium (04:21)
4. Fortress of Greed (04:12)
5. The Awakening (03:30)
6. 13 Close (04:08)
7. The Day of the Devil (04:11)
8. Spanish Horse (03:36)
9. The Reformation (01:52)
10. The Gates Beyond (04:54)
11. Eternity Destroyed (05:01)
12. The Battle of Europe (03:55)
= 00:47:30
Hammerheart Records 2017

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Band Biography