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This was the album that pushed the German Death/Thrash Metal Band Dew-Scented from being a nobody band to the top of everyone's chart of notable bands from Germany. Well, the marketing power of their new label Nuclear Blast sure helped too, but these guys really earned it with this gem of an album.

Dew-Scented play an extremely merciless brand of thrashy Death Metal. Take early Slayer and add another 2 levels of brutality and aggression and you'll end up with the band's sound. They combine relatively simple, yet very effective Thrash riffs with an unrelenting drum barrage and Leif Jensen's Death Metal vocals. The result sure isn't pretty, but it hits hard. The music's speed is usually mid-paced, with some well placed excursions into blast territory. What sets this music apart from many other Death Metal bands is that the anger and fury in these songs feels absolutely genuine. How many lame Death Metal bands did we dismiss since they tried so hard to be angry and brutal that it became laughable instead? Well, these guys here truly mean it. When listening to Leif Jensen screaming out his soul one can almost imagine seeing the foam in front of his mouth.

The songs on the album are very consistent with no real stinkers or standout songs. The balance between Thrash and Death Metal shifts a bit from song to song but the underlying in-your-face message stays untouched in every one. There aren't any breaks or even ballads here, Dew-Scented take no prisoners. With 38 minutes the album is a bit on the short side, but that's easily forgiven considering the quality of the material. Too much of this aural assault could quickly become overwhelming anyway. The band did a good job to focus on coming to the point of their songs instead of trying to pad out anything with filler.

On later albums Dew-Scented surely became better musicians. Their songs evolved and became a fair bit more complex and varied. However they never again managed to capture the very essence of their music - pure rage - as perfectly as here. Essential.