Deathgeist - Underworld ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
- Jay
- 9 minutes ago
- 3 min read
FOR FANS OF: OVERKILL, DIO, ONSLAUGHT
THRASH-O-METER
★★★★★★★★☆☆ SONGWRITING
★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ LONGEVITY
★★★★★★★☆☆☆ THEMES
★★★★★★★☆☆☆ PRODUCTION
★★★★★★★☆☆☆ MUSICIANSHIP
★★★★★★★★☆☆ CHARACTER
★★★★★★★☆☆☆ THRASHABILITY
The Latin American thrash scene has been on a serious tear these past few years and occasionally you can get sh!t like Deathgeist!
'Underworld' has a frosting of heavy metal and manages to tick the box that gets ticked so seldom:
✔ the album is bloody fun to listen to!
The titular opener presents the band in almost an epic manner: a ride built on shifting segments and sharp left turns where each detour looks tempting - and potentially lethal when you talk about keeping the song focused. There are however songs on this thing about krakens, UFOs and werewolves. So... sign me up for some detourin'!
On the surface the album is a hodgepodge of supernatural tales with a few more serious cuts woven in, but as you start to listen in sh!t ain't so straightforward. Its not like you'll sprain your brain but singing about krakens and then jumping into commercialism can be a bit of an "Whoa Nelly!" moment to some expecting swords and bloody butts.
Imagery, man! Whatever drives the story and that's where its at, y'all! I've no qualms one way or another as long as I'm entertained and banging my head in approval. And that’s the harshest test, isn’t it: whether a record can carry itself from the beginning to the end.
The next one in line, Mind Games, immediately shows a different side of the band - one that carves a more coherent path with recurring choruses, melodic motifs and the kind of orthodox solo-before-shred action. A couple of tracks, Destination: Dust in particular, end up feeling a bit like leftovers, never quite landing a defining angle of their own. When Darkness Falls is similar as its strengths feel better realized elsewhere on the record.
Beyond those two I had a friggin’ great time with this album - and just because of that I won't talk about specific tracks from now on to let you guys have the surprises, too!
Deathgeist reminds me of the 90s early Saturday morning kids shows (which were a huge thing growing up here in Finland) like Xena and Hercules where you just went out adventuring and simply had good time. Man, I miss those mornings.
A breath of fresh air
The album feels refreshingly organic human push-and-pull, not triggered to the nanosecond, and that looseness gives this a lot of its likability. This is classic heavy metal worship through and through: riffs that strut like they own the room and raunchy stomps that can also gallop, never afraid to pull over for a quick burst of theatrics when the mood hits.
There's an element here that definitely warrants recognition: the vocalist Adriano Perfetto, who has a great voice and occasionally channels some serious Blackie Lawless vibes - and that's clear even before the ballad Last Memories hits.
The album's mix feels like it’s intentionally coated in paint that, uh... murkifies(?) some of the details. Its a consistent aesthetic and I’m torn on whether this is a deliberate style/production choice or a result of technical limitations. Not a big thing but its there.
Deathgeist’s 'Underworld' is an unapologetic ride straight back to 80s heavy metal, where swords and motorcycles naturally go hand in hand because of course they do - and if a motherfncking skeleton shows up riding a dragon you don’t ask questions you just crank it louder!
There’s a disarming friendliness to this thing - an easygoing and a welcome detachment from the traditional genre rants echoing the news cycles of one ugly headline after another. As the album doesn't constantly demand your outrage or bode (real world) doom it feels like a breath of fresh air - reminding you its still okay to feel alive... at least for these forty minutes.
Badass sh!t
