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DEATHROW

Tech/Extreme Prog Metal • Germany


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Deathrow biography
DEATHROW began its existence under the moniker SAMHAIN in 1984 in Düsseldorf, Germany, releasing a few demos under that name before changing their name to DEATHROW and joining the venerable 1980s thrash label Noise records. Their style of music was similar to other German thrash acts with a focus on speed, aggression and violence. The first two albums they released, the 1986 debut ''Riders Of Doom'', which was initially entitled Satan's Gift before the inevitable banning and forced name-change, and ''Raging Steel'' from 1987 are straightforward thrash metal akin to fellow German acts DESTRUCTION and SODOM. The band members at that point were Markus HAHN performing drums, Sven FLUGGE on guitars, Milo on bass and vocals and Thomas PRIEBE on guitars.

Then, in 1988, with Uwe OSTERLEHNER replacing Thomas on guitars, the band took on a major shift in style, incorporating extremely complex technical workouts both rhythmically and solo-wise, as well as cleaner and higher pitched vocals and lyrics that dealt with social issues rather than their more nihilistic earlier output. The results of this new creative direction was ''Deception Ignored'', an astoundingly intricate release boasting strong virtuosity playing matching up with the riff-centric patterns of thrash metal. Its style is similar in vein to technical acts such as WATCHTOWER, MEKONG DELTA and CORONER without actually mimicking any of them.

Years later, in 1992, they would release one more effort on a small label, ''Life Beyond'' which tried to capture elements from both their early fast thrash days and their technically elaborate period, along with American groove metal elements that had become prominent in the metal scene by the early 90s. The band eventually folded in 1994, leaving behind an under-the-radar legacy that culminates with ''Deception Ignored'', a venerable release that was on the cutting edge of the developing progressive metal scene.

Biography by Prog Sothoth

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DEATHROW discography


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DEATHROW top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

2.80 | 6 ratings
Satanīs Gift (Riders of Doom)
1986
2.97 | 10 ratings
Raging Steel
1987
4.15 | 18 ratings
Deception Ignored
1988
3.14 | 9 ratings
Life Beyond
1992

DEATHROW Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

DEATHROW Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

DEATHROW Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

DEATHROW Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

4.00 | 1 ratings
Towers in Darkness
1992

DEATHROW Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Life Beyond by DEATHROW album cover Studio Album, 1992
3.14 | 9 ratings

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Life Beyond
Deathrow Tech/Extreme Prog Metal

Review by UMUR
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

3 stars "Life Beyond" is the 4th full-length studio album by German thrash metal act Deathrow. The album was released through West Virginia Records in 1992. Itīs the successor to "Deception Ignored" from 1988 and features the same four-piece lineup who recorded the predecessor. "Deception Ignored (1988)" is often mentioned among the seminal technical thrash metal releases from the 80s, and to fans of technical thrash metal frenzy it is indeed a mandatory listen. Four years down the line and in the midst of great changes in the musical climate (thrash was in a heavy decline in popularity in 1992), it was always going to be interesting to hear how Deathrow would follow up a release which had the impact that "Deception Ignored (1988)" did (and still has).

In some ways "Life Beyond" continues the technical thrash metal style of the predecessor but in other ways itīs a slightly less technical and less challenging release. Some of the riffs and rhythms are more straight forward German thrash metal riffs, but at the end of the day "Life Beyond" still qualifies to the tagged a technical thrash metal release. The vocals by Milo are predominantly shouted, raw, and staccato delivered, but he occasionally (very rarely actually) adds melodic singing to the tracks. Itīs obvious he isnīt an educated singer, and he sometimes sounds a little strained and even a little out of breath. With a little vocal training Iīm sure the results would have been a more satisfying listen, because as it is, the vocals are definitely the weak link of the music.

The tracks are relatively challenging in structure and technically complex, and there are some pretty interesting musical ideas on the album. Overall the songs arenīt memorable enough though and the monotone powerless vocals definitely doesnīt help on that impression. "Life Beyond" is well produced and other than the vocals the album features high level musicianship on all posts. Iīm not sure I find the stiff drumming that great, but thereīs nothing wrong with the technical level of playing. Drummer Markus Hahn just doesnīt have a groove and the transitions and changes in the music donīt flow and often become a little abrupt and awkward. Upon conclusion "Life Beyond" is quality wise a pretty standard German thrash metal album with an added technical edge, and those who looked forward to listening to "Deception Ignored (1988)" number 2 will probably be disappointed. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

 Deception Ignored by DEATHROW album cover Studio Album, 1988
4.15 | 18 ratings

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Deception Ignored
Deathrow Tech/Extreme Prog Metal

Review by UMUR
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars "Deception Ignored" is the 3rd full-length studio album by German thrash metal act Deathrow. The album was released through Noise Records in January 1988. Itīs the successor to "Raging Steel" from 1987 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as guitarist Thomas Priebe has been replaced by Uwe Osterlehner.

I donīt know if itīs the addition of Osterlehner to the lineup or if it was just a desire to evolve and change their sound, but "Deception Ignored" sounds vastly different from the two thrash/speed metal albums which preceded it. Deathrow have opted for a much more technical oriented thrash metal style on "Deception Ignored", and the tracks are generally pretty complex in structure featuring many different sections. Other than the slight German accent of lead vocalist/bassist Milo, itīs not audible that this is a German thrash metal band playing at all. The music has a distinct US feel to it, and is closer in style to US technical thrash/speed metal acts like Realm, Toxik, and Watchtower, than to contemporary German thrash metal artists like Kreator and Sodom. So itīs safe to say the development between "Raging Steel (1987)" and "Deception Ignored" has been very significant. Actually to an extent where it could have been two completely different artists recording the two albums (not completely unlike the major difference in style and sound between "Dreamweaver (Reflections of Our Yesterdays) (1989)" and "Mourning Has Broken (1991)" by contemporary UK thrash/speed metal act Sabbat).

Deathrow are an exceptionally well playing band and the level of technical playing is generally very high on "Deception Ignored". It is the kind of album where your jaw drops a few times during the playing time, because of the dexterity and skill on display. The tracks also feature some very creative songwriting ideas and unconventional twists and turns, which make "Deception Ignored" an intriguing listen throughout. Miloīs vocals are however in part pretty standard raw thrash metal shouting and nothing out of the ordinary for the genre. He gets the job done, but more interesting or distinct sounding vocals could arguably have made the album better, and the thrash metal type vocals end up being one of the weak links of the album. He occasionally sings more high pitched power/progressive metal type vocals, and he shines more when performing those. An example of that vocal style is heard on "Narcotic", where the vocals are more impressive. Another slight weakness is the catchiness of the songwriting. Technical playing and complex song structures are great and all, but more catchy moments and a higher memorability factor of the tracks could also have made the album stronger.

Pointing out a couple of weaker features on "Deception Ignored" (and mind you neither the catchiness of the songwriting nor the thrash style vocals are major issues), does not make it a bad quality album by any means though. It is widely regarded a technical thrash metal classic for a reason and it is a high quality album in almost all other departments possible and pretty much a one-of-a-kind release on the contemporary German scene (yeah I know there are other technical German thrash metal acts from that time like Sieges Even and Mekong Delta, but to my ears Deathrow were still a pretty unique case). "Deception Ignored" is nothing less than a mandatory listen for fans of technical 80s thrash metal. A 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)

 Deception Ignored by DEATHROW album cover Studio Album, 1988
4.15 | 18 ratings

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Deception Ignored
Deathrow Tech/Extreme Prog Metal

Review by VOTOMS

4 stars A classic technical thrash metal album from Germany 1988. Underrated goodness. A great album to date. Sounding like Toxik and Watchtower, but playing angry like Anthrax and Evil Dead. A very different Deathrow were playing this album. This is not the same Deathrow as before. Clean and high vocals, with some skillful musical fills at Coroner and Sadus level. The drums are insane. The hamrony between guitar and bass riffage is clearly visible. Very complex songwriting, mainly in the lenghty tracks and most progressive ones, like Triocton, an amazing instrumental performance, wich features an organ introduction and many variations. Maybe hard listening, because of the complexity, so the riff sequences are not so easily memorable, but the virtuous playing is very catchy at every listening, and makes Deception Ignored an entertaining album. Songs like Machinery are just evidences of their potential. The socially reprehensible theme fits well with this kind of music, and the album cover, even a little bit ugly, properly fulfills it's duty. Deception Ignored is still an ignored album. But this is Deathrow's prime, and one of my favorites into german thrash metal. Progressive and aggressive! Don't overlook it too.
 Raging Steel by DEATHROW album cover Studio Album, 1987
2.97 | 10 ratings

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Raging Steel
Deathrow Tech/Extreme Prog Metal

Review by UMUR
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

3 stars "Raging Steel" is the 2nd full-length studio album by German thrash metal act Deathrow. The album was released in 1987 by Noise Records. Displeased Records re-issued "Raging Steel" on CD in 2008 featuring bonus tracks from the time when the band were know as Samhain.

The music on the album is thrash metal with a slight technical touch. The band are very well playing and especially some of the guitar solo work is excellent. The songs are well composed but not entirely without the sometimes awkward shifts in rythm and tempo that charachterizes much eighties thrash metal. The vocals are the low point of the album. Raw but not really aggressive or very convincing. There are a few shots at singing clean vocals on the album too, and that works pretty well.

The production is better than the production on the debut album and this actually counts for all features on "Raging Steel". The songwriting is better, the musicianship is better, and as mentioned above the production is also better than on the debut. So far so good.

Still listening to the album today, it does sound awfully dated and the hybrid thrash metal style ( German thrash metal/ US thrash metal) that Deathrow practices, while being more sophisticated than the more raw style of many of their contemporaries, isnīt always that rewarding. Iīd call "Raging Steel" a pretty good German thrash metal album anyways though, and a 3 star rating is deserved. Iīd recommend the album to fans of German thrash metal with a technical and at times melodic twist.

 Satanīs Gift (Riders of Doom) by DEATHROW album cover Studio Album, 1986
2.80 | 6 ratings

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Satanīs Gift (Riders of Doom)
Deathrow Tech/Extreme Prog Metal

Review by UMUR
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

3 stars "Satan's Gift" is the debut full-length studio album by German thrash metal act Deathrow. The album was released in February 1986 by Noise Records. Displeased Records re-issued "Satan's Gift" on CD in 2008 featuring bonus tracks from the time when the band were know as Samhain.

The album has a rather interesting release history as the original cover artwork was banned. Therefore the second pressing of the album features a completely different artwork. But not only that. The band also changed the title of the album from "Satan's Gift" to "Riders of Doom". As far as I know the tracklist is the same for both versions.

The music on the album is thrash metal with clear nods toward the teutonic triumvirate of Sodom, Kreator and Destruction. So no surprises there. What is surprising, is that there are also some clear references to American thrash metal acts like Metallica ( around "Ride the Lightning (1984)") and Slayer ( listen to "Riders of Doom" and tell me that song doesn't sound almost exactly like "Black Magic" by Slayer) and even some melodic traits that reminds me of an act like Iron Maiden. It's a bit unusual to hear a German thrash metal act from those days producing an album this sophisticated, but of course if you know Deathrow's recording history it's not that strange. They would go on to produce much more technical and sophisticated thrash metal albums later on in their career. But the style here on "Satan's Gift", while generally more sophisticated than the more raw and simple style of their contemporaries, is still rather old school.

"Satan's Gift" is a promising debut album by Deathrow, but it's not perfect by any means. The too obvious influences and the rather bad production are issues that drag my rating down. Still a 2.5 - 3 star rating is deserved.

Thanks to aapatsos for the artist addition.

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