• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Well this caught me by surprise. From the misspelled band name and the general theme, I was expecting some kind of pseudo-Mastodon metalcore/mallcore shit. But this is easily the nicest surprise I've had all year, because Dezperadoz just rule. This band is made up of some guys from Tom Angelripper's self-titled side band, so this is a side-project of a side project. This is their second album, and it pretty much slays.

Think Running Wild obsessed with Wyatt Earp rather than Blackbeard and you'll have the basic idea. This is pretty much straight-up metal influenced by Ennio Morricone and Sergio Leone along with Accept and Dream Evil, though this is not as furious as that would imply. A lot of this is a bit more slow-paced, but there are unbelievably catchy choruses and hooks all over this thing. Album opener (after the atmospheric intro/title track) "Dust Of History" rules with big riffs and a great chorus. There are just a shitload of awesome songs on here: "First Blood", the emotional ballad "Dead Man Walkin'", the epic "March To Destiny"…I'd say there are not any bad songs on here, but the band does break up the album's momentum with a silly cover version of the TV theme "Rawhide", and then the even sillier hoedown song "Hellbilly Square". There's also a bit too much of the voiceover/sound effects stuff, and it tends to trip up the flow of the album. Overall, these are pretty minor flaws, and without them, this would be a 5/5 album, no doubt. The production is stellar, sounding huge and clear as a bell. The guitar work is killer, and the strong vocals of Alex Kraft are aided by a flotilla of guests like Doro Pesch, Joachim Cans, and Tobias Sammet, who also provide voices for the interlude bits.

I thought this would be a silly curiosity and nothing more, but this album is really good. It has some moments that drag it down and keep it from being perfect, but the good here is amazingly good. If you can track this sucker down, I highly recommend you do so.