It is fitting that 2024 finds the resurgence of death metal gathering even more momentum as death spreads across the globe. Death is a logical progression to the cycle of life, so death metal should be a celebration of this. Paul Speckmann has shown up to this celebration with this 14th album as Master. At sixty, he shows little sign of slowing down. Is it more deliberate than their 1990 album? Yes, but the songwriting is more polished. This album is a study on the roots of death metal, so prepare to take notes, there will be a quiz.
There is much less evidence of the Venom influence that marks the first album. Staying on brand, the rapid-fire attack is very straightforward with no surprises waiting around the corner from the establishing riffs that drive these songs. Their approach has always felt similar to a band like Rigor Mortis, where they emerged from the thrash scene but were steering themselves into less charted waters alongside bands like Possessed who led the early days of death metal.
There are some rock ‘n roll vibes to how Saints Dispelled (Hammerheart Records) unloads the guitar solos, and the double bass comes and goes, but by and large, it storms along a similar path as the first two songs. The album’s best example of what a death metal riff should sound like can be found on “Minds Under Pressure”.
Speckmann’s vocals carry enough rasp to convince younger listeners without a frame of reference for where music was at when this band came on the scene. The chanted chorus is hooky and makes it one of the album’s most effective songs. “Find Your Life” works for what it is, but is much less impressive than the previous song.
The drums leading into “Maimed and Diseased” have a Motörhead-like rock drive, while the vocals call back to the first album when Paul’s delivery carried the kind of cadence Cronos employed.
This does evolve into something that has a more modern hammering to it. The first glimpse of melodic embellishment and a wide dynamic range of songs appears in “The Wiseman” though the bulk of this is relegated to the song’s intro. There is a fun syncopated groove that crops up in a few places.
The album closes with the forward charge of “The Wizard of Evil”. It is covered with a thin coating of frost from the Celtic region, but has a clever enough ending, even if it does now break new ground in the world of death metal. Two bonus tracks do not expand much from what they have already established here. There are places in which the band’s sound has been given a fresh coat of paint, but it’s still the familiar shade of blood red that their songs have been painted with since the nineties. This should be a reason for fans of the band to celebrate.
Any fan of nineties death metal would also be hard pressed to not at the very least appreciate this album and find it a worthy addition to their collection. Remains to be seen if this is going to open any new doors or broaden their fan base, but does prove Master is still relevant in 2024. Something can be said for still being able to put out consistent material this late into your career.
Buy the album here:
https://master.bandcamp.com/album/saints-dispelled
8 / 10
WIL CIFER