Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Asphyx - Last One on Earth (1992)

I never got the love for Asphyx's prior outing to this record.  The Rack as a stand alone record of its time was tame at best.  I found it devoid of memorable riffs which for a death/doom record is no mean feat in my book.  Thankfully the follow up release was chock full of huge riffs to blow the underwhelming debut out of the water in one fell swoop.

Things start off well enough with M.S. Bismarck but it's track number two that really gets the blood pumping.  The main riff to The Krusher is - fittingly - crushing!  It is so full of groove and bite that it is literally like having a set of teeth embedded in your throat whilst the beast that aforementioned fangs belong to shakes the very life out of your body.  I could listen to this track over and over on repeat and never get bored of it.  One of the most infectious riffs ever written in the history of metal for me.

Serenade in Lead continues proceedings in a more aggressive and calculated manner with it's full frontal assault and (more) memorable riffage before the title track settles down into the more familiar doomy edged death metal with its macabre tone and drawn out pace.  The rest of the album continues in this pretty much similar pattern of confrontational lyrics coupled with heavy riffs and scathing delivery which is where the criticism comes in.  For all its looming presence and vibrant riffage the memorability factor still isn't cranked up much higher than the debut.  The difference being that this release has standout moments that have stuck with me since the first listen.

I am a massive fan of Van Drunen's style and his demented ramblings seem ultra-bonkers on here.  He was absent for the next 25 years after this release and he's never really topped this vocal performance with Asphyx since he returned.  For me Asphyx's sophomore release was their peak, with nothing coming close to the almost dirty and gritty guitar sound over the past 30+ years.  Not perfect by a long chalk but the important parts are stuck in my head for the rest of my life.