Artist: Deathwinds
Country: Canada
Label: Headsplit Records / Sentient Ruin Laboratories
Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD
Year: 2025
When the ‘Ripping Annihilation’-EP was released back in autumn of 2025, it was quite a bit of a surprise. After all, Deathwinds hasn’t been active in about a decade. The EP came without a warning shot, but it appears that the EP was merely a preliminary salvo and the band is fully active again, given that we now have this first full-length album from the band in our hands.
When I reviewed the EP some two years and a bit ago I described it as a mishmash of bands like Witchery, Blasphemy, Proclamation, Revenge, Angelcorpse and Witchcraft. Listening to ‘…Towards Doom…’ it seems that this comparison only holds up partially, even when the core business of the band stayed largely the same.
Even if the guitars are still grinding and there’s plenty of punch in the overall sound, the overarching production is quite a bit sharper. Sharper, but you could also say “cleaner”. The ‘Ripping Annihilation’ EP had a pretty murky and dark sound, which allows the music to breathe a bit of an oppressing atmosphere. This slightly tidier production takes away much from that initial smut. I have to admit that I didn’t like ‘…Towards Doom…’ as much after the first listen, but it stuck much better after repeated listening.
From all the bands that I used to describe Deathwinds’ sound in the review of the previous EP, the one that stands out the most is Angelcorpse. You can even make a case that the whole sound and musical identity of the band has shifted towards Angelcorpse. The way the drums are intertwined with the fast riffs and the barking vocals, it is pretty much like we’ve heard on those classic and mandatory first three Angelcorpse records. The degree of Black Metal has consequently been eliminated to only a marginal role, with the Death Metal bit taking well over control. Death Metal of the energetic kind, without groove or melody, but instead fully aimed on power, speed and aggression. A true sonic beating for those who like their Death Metal punishing and merciless.
It might not be on the same level of, say, Abhorration or Concrete Winds, but I am quite sure that people who liked the recent records of those bands will also be enamoured by what Deathwinds is presenting on this solid debut album.
