Asphyx - Deathhammer (Century Media Records) By: Mike Sloan

[8/10] If 2009’s Death…The Brutal Way demonstrated that death metal legends Asphyx can regroup with the majority of its classic lineup and instantly become a force to be reckoned with (again), then follow-up Deathhammer greatly reinforces that notion. Faithfully following in the same footsteps of everything Asphyx has created in the past, Deathhammer is an absolute monster from start to finish. It’s precisely what any fan of the band should expect and could possibly hope for.

Sporting a near perfect overall production of polished rawness that’s so difficult to master these days (it seems), each song is a crushing slab of slowed down doom-infused death metal. You know, the sound that Asphyx virtually pioneered in the fetal stages of the 1990s. There aren’t any fancy tricks or melodic passages to be found anywhere on this, their eighth full-length release; Asphyx stay true to their roots and each of the ten songs on Deathhammer is its own individual song. From the skull-flattening opener “Into the Timewastes” to the faster, groovier “Reign of the Brute” to the purposefully-cheesy-yet-pulverizing “We Doom You to Death”, nothing on Deathhammer is even remotely filler.

Martin van Drunen, arguably the greatest death metal vocalist of his era, is in top form and delivers another remarkable performance that really only he can achieve. Whether it’s with his other current band Hail of Bullets or when he fronted the first two Pestilence albums or Comecon’s only elite release (Converging Conspiracies), Van Drunen virtually can do no wrong. His guttural, tortured voice is as memorable as ever and the simplistic-yet-powerful drumming from original member Bob Bagchus round out the “vintage” feel. Regardless of the fact that guitarist Eric Daniels isn’t on this record either (same with Death… The Brutal Way), it doesn’t matter. Paul Baayens’ (also of Hail of Bullets) licks and riffs are molded in such a way that it’s nearly impossible to differentiate the two because every song is classic Asphyx. Rounding out the menacing attack of classic death and damnation is bassist Alwin Zuur, who took over for the departed Wannes Gubbels and his dense aural assault emboldens the artillery.

Through and through, it’s hard to find a major flaw with Deathhammer. Like all of Asphyx’s records, from their worst to the best, this new beast tends to sound a tad too similar at times. Then again, this is Asphyx we’re talking about here and even if they wound up playing the same song ten times, who cares? Like Bolt Thrower and Deceased where thankfully not much change ever takes place, any new album from Asphyx is essential. It’s a record that quashes the listener’s eardrums and any fan of the band must scoop this one up. Now.

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