Kaotoxin Records (2012)

“Black Throne of all Creation,” the debut from Belgian death metallers Dehuman, does its very best to sound new and fresh while keeping an old-school feel that pays homage to what has come before without being mired in the past. The sound is quite difficult to pin down, being at the midpoint between Scandinavian, US and European DM in terms of influence. This isn’t the most brutal DM I’ve heard in terms of audible violence or lyrical content.

Overall the production has a subtle warmth and some of the chords have a progressive feel that makes this a very accessible release - plus it makes a pleasant change to hear a band who are more concerned with song dynamics that with following the hackneyed path of the slew ‘brutal/technical DM’ wannabes being spawned these days.

On the negative side, the songs tend to blend into each other slightly. This is most likely a problem of production rather than song-writing. A more incisive guitar would have helped, as there is more innovation at work here that the casual listener might pick up on.

In the end, this is a very good debut from a band with tons of potential and I look forward to seeing how they develop in the future.

www.myspace.com/dehuman
http://shop.kaotoxin.com

Rating: 4.5 / 6

Composed by Peter Loftus