Massacre Records (2012)

Expanding to a four-piece and taking an open ended break, the Norwegian modern, aggressive thrashers Deride release their third studio album “The Void” - a 10 song, close to 35 minute exercise in heads down, crushing heaviness. New vocalist Per Helge Lande employs a veritable palate of gruff and caustic screams in his repertoire, sometimes crossing the lines of modern, death and thrash lines all within the same arrangement such as the thicker mid-tempo offering “I Rage” or the stop/start madness within “Only One”.

The riffing machine that is Ole Walaunet spits out doom-laden, down-tuned rhythms that insure incessant whiplash on the opener “Deathshake” and later on throws down some spitfire licks and faster thrash-oriented parts on personal favorite “All Must Be Revealed”. The tone of “The Void” remains angry throughout, the production values very close to what I would expect Deride to level people with sonically in a live situation. The clean vocals doubling against Per’s normal forceful parts during the chorus of  “Soul Depart” give this slower number more of a melodic overtone, complimenting Ole’s guitar harmonies wonderfully.

I can see “The Void” appealing to a wide variety of groups- but most importantly, this isn’t for those who enjoy the lighter side of metal. These Scandinavian lads know how to keep the music lean and focused on thrash with death and modern touches, stripped down to its core without any super extraneous studio trickery or wizardry. A particular group in comparison doesn’t bring Deride’s sound justice- the rawness of say Pro Pain, the power of 90’s era Testament, and then that special Norwegian understanding of placing the right nuances into their style without making it sound contrived gives you a clue into “The Void”.

Please don’t wait 9 years for the fourth full length- hopefully this will kick start their career once again.

www.facebook.com/Deridebergen
www.massacre-records.com

Rating: 4.5 / 6

Composed by Matt Coe