Deströyer 666 – Never Surrender
Release Date: 2nd December 2022
Label: Season of Mist
Pre-Order
Genre: Blackened Thrash, Speed Metal, Heavy Metal, Blackened Punk.
FFO: Inquisition, Absu, Taake, Kreator, Skeletonwitch, Midnight.
Review By: Rick Farley
No compromise, no sell out, no bullshit. That’s exactly what you’re getting with album number six, Never Surrender, from Aussie black thrash legends, Deströyer666. A full-on assault of battering heavy fucking metal. Jagged chainsaw thrashing guitars, warlike pounding drums, gravely vocals with a tinge of raspy nastiness, glorious melodies, and an irresistible blackened, punky, heavy metal spirit. The perfect amalgamation of early Venom and eighties German thrash metal, both with melodies straight from the NWOBHM and a serious punky don’t give a fuck attitude. If you just want to gnash your teeth with some fucking killer, Satan rules type of blackened thrash that will have you headbanging until you pass out, or dead, this is the band I’m going to recommend.
Formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1994 by vocalist/guitarist K.K. Warslut. Deströyer 666 has been through various line up changes over the years, but the one constant has always been K.K., who never relented his vision of this blasphemous dose of satanic speed metal. Full of delightfully crude lyrics about conquering kingdoms, anti-Christianity, witches and really anything spawning from hell. Hail Satan. Razor sharp riffs, Scream along choruses, and savage rawness wins the day. There’s not a whole lot of subtlety coming from this band, they’re here to be the soundtrack for bloody and boozy debauchery fuelled by serious heavy metal violence. Deströyer 666 is a sadistically fun listen if you’re just looking for some unbridled fist pumping fury. So, grab your leather jacket, your metal spike armbands, neck brace and let’s go fucking thrash about in the Pitch Black Night.
The songs on Never surrender all deliver something a little different to this extreme thrash party. Dials all set to eleven and ready to take no prisoners. Nine songs at forty raging minutes, it’s damn near perfect length for letting out all that pent-up hellion energy you have and still having enough time to pick up grandma from church. Assuming it doesn’t catch fire upon your arrival.
Mirror’s Edge is a galloping, thrashy, dose of badassery. Feverish speed and crispy riffs mixed with searing solos and blackened shouty screams. Being on the verge of Viking metal inspired, the second half of the song, sounds like a call to arms for the next pillaging. War like drums, driving riffs with melodic leads and gruff vocals carry through with great might. Grave Raiders starts with an epic classic heavy metal riff. Slower ringing out chords, all set to explode into adrenaline fuelled tight riffs and barbarous double bass pummelling. Anthemic vocals ready to lead the herd of metal warriors into the darkened catacombs of the dead. A savage trade-off of solos keeps the fiery intensity high. The ferociousness of this track never relents, giving little time to just stop and smell all the corpses.
Slow blowing winds and cleanly strung guitars start out the majestically heavy track Batavia’s Graveyard. A track that visits some doomy elements, distinctive melodic leads, and folkish harsh sea shanties over slower crunching riffs. Lyrically, the track speaks of a story of one of the largest mutinies in history, which saw the massacre of at least one hundred and ten people. Although the story itself involves a shipwreck off the western shore of Australia, it surely has the grandiose feel of Scandinavia. A surprising and glorious end to a fantastic album of classic gut punching riffs, face melting solos and raw heavy metal power. Blackened and thrashing, you already know you want this. 
(4 / 5)
