Heavy Metal Tribune

Massive Assault [Netherlands]
Death Strike
2012
Full Length
FDA Rekotz
Death Metal

After recently getting into Dutch death metal bands such as Asphyx and Hail of Bullets, coming into contact with yet another act from Netherlands in the form of Massive Assault certainly excited me, leaving me almost expecting yet another slab of doomish death metal that the aforementioned Dutch legends have released. But with Death Strike, Massive Assault has broken down all geographical boundaries, and what one instead finds on the album leans closer to the sounds that Swedish death metal pioneers such as Entombed has crafted.

True to the album artwork, album opener Driven Towards Death introduces listeners with the sounds of war at the background but before long all hell break loose as the band bludgeons the listeners with their brand of Swedish-styled death metal, though Massive Assault includes a slightly more punkish edge to the music with the d-beat drumming style and the simplistic riffing patterns on the guitars, sounding like a slightly more polished version (in terms of production quality) of crusty Swedish band Bastard Priest. Riffs on songs like the intro of Cycle of Violence immediately bring to mind songs like Bloodbath's Breeding Death. The track even contains a short and simple lead guitar solo. Vocalist Carl's style seethes with rage, and the way he spits out his lyrics further emphasises the punk elements that the band has included in their musical style.

The band's songwriting abilities are also evident throughout the album, and also keeps to the aforementioned Bloodbath's formula of "brutality comes through simplicity". Though there is nothing particularly innovative or inventive on Death Strike, the fast pace of the music and the catchy tunes of the music (like the galloping riffs of Pride) helps to ensure that there is not a moment of boredom, and keeps the listener's head banging throughout the entirety of the album. Slower moments such as Turning Tides also display the heavier and more brutal side of the band, with crushing riffs that are made even heavier by the abrasive guitar tone that Swedish-styled death metal has come to be known for. Death Strike is overall a no holds barred release, choke full of fun moments that would manage to get even the most uninitiated metalhead to start digging for more similar releases.

Massive Assault on the internet:
MySpace
FDA Rekotz

©2012 Heavy Metal Tribune | Hong Rui