DEATHSTARS: Everything Destroys You (INDUSTRIAL METAL): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

In 2014, Swedish metal-indus band Deathstars seemed to have gone out of business shortly after the release of their album "The Perfect Cult". What a surprise it was to find this likeable outfit back from the Valhalla dead with "Everything Destroys You", their fifth studio album.

Despite this 9-year hibernation, the quartet have not upset their kitchen sink. Right from the start of 'This Is', we find more or less the same ingredients as on previous albums, and the rest will confirm this. Deathstars are still following in the footsteps of their big brother Rammstein. The powerful, highly magnetic voice of vocalist Andreas Bergh is reminiscent of Till Lindemann. But the Swede isn't just a vocal clone, and his voice occasionally ventures into some very appropriate death intonations. The keyboards are constantly engaged in a merciless battle with the heavy guitars, while the rhythm section serves as an impartial arbiter. Deathstars' big secret? If it's not technical or highly original, it's efficiency, and in that respect, the Swedes are truly unbeatable.

"Everything Destroys You" is a devilishly catchy collection of industrial metal anthems with a hint of gothic. As well as taking great care with the melodic aspect of their compositions, the Swedes are alchemists when it comes to the chorus, which can be memorized in a flash and is fearsomely infectious. An inattentive listener could listen to this album over and over again without realizing just how infectious the energy is. Well-placed female backing vocals (particularly on 'Between Volumes And Voids') will pierce the last armour of sceptics. It's hard to name a single track that stands out from the rest, but we're sure to fall for the elusive 'An Atomic Prayer' (a martial rhythm and a waltz merge) and 'The Churches Of Oil', which reveals a grandiloquent dimension that could have been pursued in a more symphonic vein.

Back after a long 9-year hiatus, Deathstars' "Everything Destroys You" is further proof of their sonic efficiency at the expense of originality, which in this case is not a complaint. While there are many bands in the metal-industry content to follow in Rammstein's footsteps, none are as effective as Deathstars. An album that will make you want to stamp your feet and scream your lungs out over the choruses. - Official website

DEATHSTARS

EVERYTHING DESTROYS YOU

NUCLEAR BLAST

INDUSTRIAL METAL