Wasting no time in defining who they are or their sound, DeathAssault’s self-titled debut (out February 13th) may be rooted in thrash but it refuses to stay boxed into that genre. The record is a double edge sword. On one side it understands power as discipline and on the other side, it delivers volume, not only in sound but in attitude and swagger.
It seems the band thrives on tension, pacing, and sheer determination. Each track has been built to provoke two things. One, move bodies, be it in a pit or standing on the sidelines with head banging or fist pumping, and two, elicit thought.
Tracks like “We Will Remain” strike clean but hard with riffs from Bill Mander and Jake Ackrell, locking in time with the rhythm section of Wiktor Osiecki (bass), and Levi Spry (drums). They value control as much as they value force and it lets Darrell Baker’s vocal delivery carry a sense of urgency without slipping into chaos. It is confrontational but measured and is driven by conviction rather than theatrics.
The album could have been built around a start-stop pace but its pacing is one of its strengths. In “Ashes Of Reality” and “Replaced”, the shifts in tempo feel deliberate and give space for ideas to land before accelerating again. This structure allows interludes such as “Lament Of The Insane” to act as pressure valves by allowing the heavier moments to hit harder when they return. By the time the closing track “DeathAssault” arrives, the record feels complete rather than exhausted.
Darrell says
“This is who we are – raw and real. It’s a musical interpretation of our souls, minds, and beliefs. We want people to think about the world, about themselves, and about what they’ve done in life.”
That intent is evident throughout. DeathAssualt is not interested in spectacle for its own sake. The album is direct, unflinching, and grounded in belief. It is a confident first step from a band that knows exactly who they are and why they are here.
