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Dublin Death Patrol

Death Sentence

Review by Mike Heitzman

Most of these guys, if not directly related by blood, have known each other since 1980 when they used to hang out in Dublin, California. This Sophomore release has evolved from the 2007 release, DDP for Life. It is way more brutal and raw sounding. Chuck Billy’s (Testament) and Steve Souza’s (Exodus, Hatriot) combined vocals are astounding. Such a great mix of talent can be heard on this CD, as it is a combined effort of twelve members. I guess they have at least seven of the members at their live shows; I would love to see this CD played live, as well. It would be so ironic to see Billy and Souza share the stage together. Souza basically handed Testament to Billy back when it was called “Legacy,” then went on to form Exodus, which was always in direct competition with Testament through the early years of thrash. Both were always favorites of mine, and I still could not decide which is better, but this new DDP album really puts the icing on the cake for both their careers.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2012  Volume 5 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
Mind Sewn Shut

I’m sure the slow lead-in to this song was intended to brand the beginning of this CD so you will always know when you are in for a DDP treat. Then it doesn’t waste time exploding with the powerful growls of Souza combined with the fierce bellows of Billy accompanied by some very memorable melodic guitar and snappy drum work. Also, the guitar solo is a great example of what a lot of metal is missing nowadays.

Dehumanize
“With the edge of my blade, I will take my revenge you’ll see”. This is another brutal tune that also has a lot of melodic riffs that make it very listenable many times over. I could easily see the chorus being chanted by the crowd when played live. And again we get a smoking hot guitar solo.
Blood Sirens
This starts out with some Sabbath like riffs and then just chugs away in perfect thrash form. It includes a very clear and memorable chorus that is very reminiscent of early Testament. Again it has a smoking hot guitar solo, but this one is a little more unique as you can tell it is done by two or more guitarists.
Broken
This one is best played loud. It has one of the best mixtures of drums and guitar riffs I have heard on a modern metal album. It also has a good topic about the masses of hopeless and mindless people out there. It’s almost like a wake up call: “are you in to living / or are you just killing time?”
Welcome to Hell
There’s a very interesting intro in this song, and the drums never cease to amaze me, almost Peart like in their complexity. There is a lot of distortion on the vocals in this track, mostly for Chuck Billy. You will hardly recognize his voice. I’m pretty sure it was intentional as per the name of this track.
Conquer and Divide
Another great tune to play loud, this just thumps all around. Souza’s vocals shine on this one.
Death Toll Rising
A haunting, doom ridden song, this still includes some great riffs and a nice melodic guitar solo that does not disappoint.
My Riot
My favorite song on this CD, you better bet it gets cranked as loud as my stereo goes. The vocal team work is one of the best heavy metal duets ever, in my opinion. It is so hardcore and metal through and through. Any song that has the lyrics “Execute you violently, my riot” and you can actual understand the singer, is some of the heaviest metal ever.
Macabre Candor
This is a very catchy tune. It’s another one that makes this CD so tempting to listen to over and over. “Remember to dismember…”; you have to love the chorus in this one.
Butcher Baby
Probably the fastest song on this CD, I think they wanted to end it with a bang. This one would be a good drinking song to get a metal bar good and crazy. I am also sure it would spur some good pit action when played live.
 
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