Dead World - Thanatos Descends (1996)^{Release ID: 18613}

1996 was around the year when heavy metal was completing its 5-years descent away from popularity. There are bands that experimented with was all the rage back then, just repeated the same sound without variation, or just outright split up. Dead World did not want to repeat their sound, but they had their own experimentation going on before splitting up a few years later. John Canady's project even switched from the big record labels to smaller labels...

For this album, Thanatos Descends, there has ended up being two different styles, the earlier deathly industrial metal and ambient noise. The ambient "Thanatos" tracks were recorded two years before the metal tracks, during the Dead World era in 1993, in collaboration with David E. Williams. That is quite a difference!

I would say this is a similar format to Spread the Disease's Sheer Force of Inertia, but of course, the heavier tracks, rather than being black/death metal/hardcore, are the dark industrial metal of Fear Factory at that time, and great highlights too, including the hammering "Warhammer". When I refer to songs like "The Scourge" as deathly industrial metal, I don't mean Pestilence gone industrial, but rather industrial metal with a deathly vibe. The other two are really good, but don't reach the greatness of the first two.

Also similarly to Spread the Disease, John Canady's project ended after this album, dissolving in 1999. The Dead World project is dead, but not before this great yet unorthodox way to end. And with all this talk about Spread the Disease, I have one more album from that band to get through after two more albums from industrial metal bands.....

Favorites: "Warhammer", "The Scourge"