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Mass Confusion

      
         
         
         
     
             
Dust Bolt are a thrash metal band from Germany formed in 2006 who released their first album in 2012. Their second album followed in 2014 and their third album has just been released in 2016.    
             
With a Slayer like brutality, Dust Bolt open their new album with a blistering one and a half minute blast. 'Sick X Brain' rockets out of the blocks is a devastatingly punchy and hard kicking song that will flatten anything (or anyone) in its way. Title song 'Mass Confusion' continues the rampant thrash assault at a phenomenal pace. Aggressive and in your face with a pulsating rhythm 'Mass Confusion' nods back to the heady days of the late eighties Bay Area thrash evolution. 'Allergy' opens with a widdly guitar intro before a dramatic turn of pace and off it zooms at break neck pace. Vocals are gruff and rough, well suited to this type of in your face and attitude laden thrash metal. With no let up in velocity, 'Turned To Grey' continues the relentless and breath taking pace. Heads will bang furiously and the mosh pit will just be a sea of manically jumping metal heads. Though the pace is furiously fast, there is no feeling of chaos. The only feeling is "wow", as your breath is taken away by the superb musicianship and prowess of the band as they deliver a raging torrent of thrash metal.    
             
The influence of Slayer is plain to hear as 'Blind To Art' rumbles in with a hauntingly heavy intro that harks back to 'South Of Heaven' era Slayer. 'Blind To Art' does slow the pace slightly, but the heaviness remains as skulls will be crushed and bones will be broken if you foolishly choose to stand up to this brutal assault of thrash. With a short intro that sounds like a Barbershop Quartet, 'Mind The Gap' is raw, aggressive and so heavy that cities will be decimated such is the power. With a pounding rhythm that will give lesser mortals headaches, 'Mind The Gap' brutally stamps and stomps on its way. Not afraid to experiment, Dust Bolt slow the pace right down as 'Exit' opens up like a ballad...yup, I just said ballad! With twanging strings and a soulful, clean vocal delivery, you may just reach for your lighters to hold aloft, and wonder what happened to the speed, the pace and the thrash metal assault. At two minutes in, there is an explosion of drums and guitars and a power ballad feel takes over. 'Exit' is an interesting and intriguing listen and has elements of the self titled (black) album Metallica released in the early nineties.    
             
Pummelling rhythms and chopping guitars return in full as 'Empty Faces' blazes out of the speakers. Speed and pace is exhilarating as 'Empty Faces' steams ahead like a runaway freight train. Brutality and aggression in total harmony. 'Taking Your Last Breath' introduces a hint of the in your face aggression that early Pantera delivered. Again, the pace and speed is furiously fast, yet like all the other songs on the album, there is absolutely no feeling of chaos. Every song has been excellently written, composed and played. With a chilling intro 'Portraits Of Decay' nods once again to 'South Of Heaven' era Slayer. The heaviness and blistering pace has been a prominent feature throughout this album, with only 'Exit' allowing a pause for breath. With eleven songs delivered across forty seven breath taking minutes, the album comes to an end rather quickly, but the journey has been fantastic, furious and frenetic. With an acoustic styled intro, the final song 'Masters Of War' brings a mellower feel to the album...for a minute, before a heavy, brutal stomping rhythm takes over.    
             
Overall, fast, furious and frenetic thrash metal delivered at a blistering pace that is simply breath taking.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for Metal Gods TV    
             
             
Other Reviews    
             

           
           
Bloody Rain (single)      
           
"a savage and brutal offering from a thrash metal band very much on the up, their new album I'm sure, is gonna be just as devastating" Read Review      
     
     
     
           
             
             
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