Kolkata based Thrash metal band Dreadhammer was incepted in August 2016 consisting of Rishav Bhattacharya on vocals and guitar¸ Suprovo Chowdhury on bass¸ Rohan Baksh on drums and Arjo Dutta on guitar; made their debut live performance at Rise Above show organized by Calcutta Punk Society and since their debut performance¸ they went on to release three singles respectively which include Might of Chaos¸ Violence is the Cure and the much recent single titled Destroyer (Born To Kill)¸ the track that’s going to be reviewed as this article progresses.
Dreadhammer has been influenced and inspired by a wide range of Heavy Metal genre and sub-genre such as the NWOBHM¸ traditional Heavy metal and Thrash metal. It is a plethora of influences they have fathomed into their music which is utterly extreme and ferocious with a compact structure of musical pattern in the form of heavy riffages; which is why their lyrical contents are realistically intriguing¸ severely-intense as well.
Thrash metal is a sub-genre of Heavy metal that is rebellious¸ it’s about the oppression¸ the angst, societal chaos¸ political propaganda, the malicious character of humanity; it depicts the ugly truth of life and society which the media has shunned to portray or depict. So, in a way, this genre synchronizes all the repugnant, atrocious and malignant nature of mankind in artistic form. That’s exactly what Dreadhammer is trying and has been delivering through their music so far. The music emblematized the synergy of a malevolent society we’re living in.
But with extremity comes a musical technicality, originality, creativity, passion, talent, and commitment, so if you’re asking yourself if Dreadhammer has all of that before I even tell you whether they have it or not, smack yourself in the face! They seriously have such musical ingenuity which has been missing from many thrash acts in-and-around the country. The band has this inquisitive quest to push the tempo and deliver aggressive, violent music that will condense in our head and detox the corrupted and parasitic nature that surrounds us all.
Destroyer (Born To Kill), the recent single, I personally believe that this track has in some way, a concept. Not that the previous two didn’t but this one has a deeper connection with every human; rich or poor, regardless of where we come from, we cannot cheat death. It is coming for all of us. Death is the Destroyer.
The drumming and the vibrant up-tempo down-stroke riffage, if I’m not mistaken at the intro is a conjunction of a power-packed technicality and creativity that shows they’ve done their homework of magnetizing us to listen to the song in its entirety. It’s honestly difficult not to, the intro is such a paroxysm of an ear-piercing session to maim or destroy our neck! It’s hard not to keep listening to that intro, it’s so badass that it instills confidence to do some damage (In an optimistic way of breaking free), which is an irony because the concept of the song from my point of view is about death. However we can call it a juxtaposition of two things, one is, ardent strength to be courageously extracted from the music and the other is to be oblivious to such negativity by using the lyrics as a pun towards their action which is inevitable of the same fate, death!
In other words, I should say that the whole track is about all those who defined joy through other’s suffering will also meet the maker, death is coming either way, in any stages of life “As you choke on your pride, I see you suffer, I see you beg for your life.” (lines from the song).
The vocals in this track however is completely different from the previous two, it’s a lot darker and harsh borderline thrash/death even black metal growling scream, I feel, but it suits superbly. As mentioned earlier, a plethora of influences that they have fathomed into their music. As compared to the previous ones, the first section of the song is slightly slower rather than fast-edgy but it breaks out at 1:27 where speed comes into play and adds more elements into the song, making it even nastier.
The most impressive part throughout the whole song though is the bass-line which you can discernibly hear for a few seconds at 2 (minutes) 05 (Seconds) – 09 (Seconds). That made up the whole single for me, aside from the lyrical content which is a vital part of a song. The bass-line is so funky and witty in a way, telling someone to Fuck off!
Then at 2: 10, comes the solo which is undoubtedly magnificent, exquisitely executed which flows with the music smoothly, it was a thra[sh-ma]gical journey, indeed! The song is over four minutes long and Dreadhammer has just raised the bar of playing Thrash metal and lyrical composition to an apogee which I’m hoping they’ll keep delivering.
Also Read: Video Releases: Undying Inc. – Alpha Absolute
Youtube: Dreadhammer
