Album Review: The Troops of Doom - The Rise Of Heresy
Reviewed by Paul Hutchings
It took a cursory glance at the name of the band to acknowledge that there was inevitably a Sepultura connection. Unsurprisingly, The Troops of Doom take their name from the Seps track on their debut album ‘Morbid Visions’. The connection is guitarist Jairo “Tormentor” Guedz, the guitarist on both ‘Morbid Visions’ and the ‘Bestial Devastation’ EP. Guedz is joined by bassist/vocalist Alex Kafer (Enterro, Explicit Hate, ex-Necromancer), drummer Alexandre Oliveira (Southern Blacklist, Raising Conviction), and guitarist Marcelo Vasco (Patria, Mysteriis, acclaimed graphic artist for legendary bands such as Slayer, Kreator, Machine Head, Soulfly, and Hatebreed among many others).
The Troops of Doom’s mission statement is simple. To “revisit the essence of ‘80s style death metal, exploring a more primitive sound that takes listeners back to that era, while remaining fresh and genuine”. With four original tracks and two Sepultura covers on this EP, there is enough meat to get stuck in the gaps between your molars. The classical introduction is dramatic, allowing time to brace for the inevitable onslaught to follow. And follow it does, as the band rip into the pulverising ‘Whispering Dead Words’. Huge thick riffs, aggressive vocals are accompanied by frenetic drumming in an explosive opening statement. It’s certainly not original, but it is viciously powerful and instantly enjoyable, the smouldering mid-section building to more brutal thrashing.
The intention was to take the listener back to the primitive (sorry!) and that is certainly evident on the remaining tracks. Short, sharp and powerful, Between The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea once again harnesses tempo changes with massive jagged riffs, The Confessional thunders with a chugging drive that all thrash fans will nod along to whilst the title track is another face melting slab of brutality. The band are tighter than the proverbial nun’s chuff and Kafer’s gruff delivery works splendidly.
Wrapping up this hugely enjoyable trip to retro land are two Seps covers. A blistering ‘Bestial Devastation’ is followed by a full-on powerslam with ‘Troops of Doom’. Both are relatively faithful but that’s always going to be the case here. Neither take risks but both are solid and respectful.
The Troops of Doom are coming. This should be a band to follow with some interest.
‘The Rise of Heresy’ is released on 9th October by Blood Blast Distribution
