Desaster – Kill All Idols

Artist: Desaster
Country: Germany
Label: Metal Blade Records
Formats: LP / CD
Year: 2025

Some bands need no introduction. And thank goodness, because what else is there to write about Desaster these days? The Germans are undoubtedly one of the few and most celebrated bands that can satisfy both lovers of underground Black/Thrash Metal and, through Metal Blade Records, have also found their way to metal fans who don’t look much further than the EMP or Nuclear Blast catalogue. Desaster’s roots go back as far as 1988, but with “Kill All Idols”, this dedicated band is now releasing their tenth album and, as far as we can tell, there’s no sign of wear and tear yet.

Sure, some of the sharpest Black Metal edges might have gone missing over the years. Especially after what in hindsight could be considered some mild transitional years after the release of ‘666 – Satan’s Soldiers Syndicate’ (2007) and ‘The Arts Of Destruction’ (2012), a somewhat more pronounced Heavy Metal-tinged melodicism has entered the band’s formula. While that obviously has always been part Desaster, it is undeniable to conclude that they have gone increasingly down that melodic road. Yet, and that is not insignificant, this slight transformation didn’t come at the expense of their intense riffing and relentlessly pummelling rhythms.

‘Kill All Idols’ is nothing but a triumphant continuation of the path chosen, a near-perfect balancing act between the band’s violent and murderous side and their marriage with epic Heavy Metal. In 40 minutes Desaster serves us with what basically has been the band’s trademark sound for decades – something that has often been mimicked, but never equalled. With the addition of the stronger of melodicism, the dynamics within the individual albums has grown significantly. And that is also where the strength of ‘Kill All Idols’ lies. Some songs tend to be sharper and meaner in nature, while other have a more muscular balls-out sort of Heavy Metal vibe. That difference, not seldomly also found even within individual songs, makes Desaster truly a one of a kind experience. Listen to a song like ‘Fathomless Victory’ for instance, possibly the slowest song with a catchy melody and resembles some truly epic Heavy Metal, but has a dark and dreary atmosphere. The following ‘Throne Of Ecstasy’ starts off with its foot firmly on the accelerator, but that song also has a strong 80s heavy metal, or even almost hard rock, main riff. ‘Stellar Remnant’ is another rocking song with a slower almost doomy riff that reveals the band’s love for 80’s hard rock and heavy metal.

It might be clear. Purists who claim that Desaster strayed too far from their roots after ‘Divine Blasphemies’ (2002) will not be won back with ‘Kill All Idols’. But if you have grown along with the band into what they have become anno 2025, this is an album that you’ll just like as much as any of their previous output of the recent years. Maybe not as good as ‘The Oath Of An Iron Ritual’, but still another strong and triumphant album within the band’s extensive discography.