Deathrite – Flames Licking Fever (Eerie Death Punk)
Nice. Needed something to mix things up around here! Plus, I received so much garbage these past months it’s been tough whittling it down to anything good, let alone something that rawks as much as Flames Licking Fever, the latest full-length from Germany’s Deathrite (capitalized or no?). There are a number of acts out there trying to ride on the same style as classic spooky hardcore punk of the early 1980s, but as the sound is updated in production, it’s rarely updated in style. Psychobilly about zombies, horror punk about zombies, ugghhhhh. So trite, and so few bands can play within the genre without making fools out of themselves, succeeding in local headliner shows at best. Deathrite are beyond that level and take spooky to truly eerie.
I’ve seen death punk tossed around somewhat for Deathrite, but this doesn’t quite capture what they’re doing. Tossing more groove into the mix like a bit of frog eye in a spell stew, Flames Licking Fever lays out evil vibes with a vibrant tempo. The writing style swerves from rock legend to angry outsider frequently, with every track presenting a new slice that digs so deep stitches won’t save the wound. The drums often keep an effectively simple tempo, yet know when to burst into assault mode, and with the vocals, which elevate from Count to Emperor with their swirling, venomous echo, there’s the perfect suggestion in Flames Licking Fever of the eerie without ever explicitly stating it, avoiding the tiresome tropes of horror punk for more modern edge. Top it off with impressionistic cover art of evil and you have a right proper package that lays to rest the Monster Kid phenomenon once and for all and makes it outright devilish.
Deathrite – Flames Licking Fever
Into Endless Chaos Records
Cover Art: Rotting Reign
4.6 / 5
