Asphyx - Deathhammer (2012)^{Release ID: 2485}

'Deathammer' starts with one of those annoyingly composed tracks that just commences without warning.  No intro, no atmospheric fade up or distorted feedback, just literally straight 'Into The Timewastes'.  Thankfully things get better on the second track with the title track doing a commendable rescue job after the poorly thought out opener.  Unfortunately though I find quite early on in the record that it is very inconsistent.  Whilst 'Deathhammer' does the job nicely, 'Minefield' and 'Of Days When Blades Turned Blunt' just sort of pass me by, leaving little in the way of memorability or benchmark quality in their wake.  

Although 'Der Landser' stands out, this is more due to the conceptual nature of the songwriting as opposed to anything that sounds sticky enough to lodge any sure footing in my 30 metal years memory bank. Fast forward to track eight and I get the arrogant and brooding 'We Doom You To Death' with its recognisably doomy riff that carries the track through like some giant dark, moody wave.  Similarly, the structure of closing track 'As The Magma Mammoth' rises holds up well as the final foray of the album that otherwise suffers badly from filler.

Van Drunen's vocal style is one of my favourite in metal, whether it is his work with Pestilence or Asphyx (not as hot on Hail of Bullets tbf).  He holds up well on 'Deathhammer' but I don't believe any one part of the record could save the whole or make it a more memorable experience beyond just three or four tracks.  Whilst solid enough, there's little in the way of standout stuff from Paul, Alwin or Stefan here to even hike my rating up just another half star.