Review by Adam M on November 22, 2016.

Diamond Head performs a strong take on traditional metal. There are the usual high pitched vocals along with screeching metal guitars. The music moves at a fiery pace that is pleasant to hear.

This is similar to Judas Priest’s material, but features a distinctive flavor all the bands own. The entirety of the sound is very old school in nature and features the classic verse/chorus method of performance. The instrumental performances are solid with just the right emphasis on the guitar riffs. My problem with the album is that it doesn’t sound in any way special. The music is very standard with little deviation into more innovative territories. Still, there are so many classic licks present that one would be hard pressed not to find something to like here if there is any affinity for classic metal whatsoever on the part of the listener. There are a couple of acoustic guitars thrown in, mostly in the track All the Reasons You Live, but for the most part the album does stick to this traditional structure. This works for the band because it suits the style of music they are performing, although the aforementioned track is one of the strongest present. The music is solid for the classic style, but still doesn’t captivate like Judas Priest’s best material. This means the moments aren’t as memorable as those from that band. The catchiness is simply not present as much and the songs drift by too quickly. Still, with the instrumental performances being solid, there is enough of a backbone to enjoy with the band.

There haven’t been many traditional metal releases this year, so Diamond Head must be appreciated for its efforts to invigorate the style. There are enough sing-along choruses to keep the classic metal fan occupied for a long time to come.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Review by Death8699 on January 15, 2019.

One helluv a collection of songs built by the Godfather of death metal, Chuck Schuldiner. As a voice for Death, he chooses to sing in a higher pitch on vocals that reflect Death's last album The Sound of Perseverance. On second guitar is Shannon Hamm who illustrates a guitarist that replicates past Death member solos quite vividly. Richard Christy is on drums and Scott Clendenin on bass. 

About 80 minutes of a crowd frenzied set, Death is at their best. No one can replicate Chuck's insanely amazing solos and incredibly awesome riff built songs. A mixture of then past and more recent songs. This was after all Death's The Sound of Perseverance tour. The intensity of the live footage is quite immense. The whole band was in sync for every song old and newer.

There stood the figure of a now dead commander of death/progressive metal outputs. Chuck Schuldiner was a legend, both on the set and as a person. Sad to see a man who had all of the potential in the world to give more to the metal community, but left us at such a young age due to brain cancer. Death - Live In L.A. was a maddening collection of impeccable songs.

The sound quality of the album was top notch. You can hear all of the instruments and vocals vividly. Some of Death's best songs are featured on here and a couple that I thought less highly of. Overall, the performance was amazing. The leads were impeccable by both guitarists. Shannon Hamm had a unique picking style and Chuck was fast and furious with his solos.

Overall, a great performance by all band members. If you're a death metal fan and haven't seen this DVD, get it, it's worth it's weight in gold. You can actually see and hear all of the band member's outputs distinctly. Chuck left this Earth too soon but his legacy lives on through his music. Death remains to be the founding group of the death metal genre. No mistaking that.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Review by Death8699 on January 15, 2019.

One helluv a collection of songs built by the Godfather of death metal, Chuck Schuldiner. As a voice for Death, he chooses to sing in a higher pitch on vocals that reflect Death's last album The Sound of Perseverance. On second guitar is Shannon Hamm who illustrates a guitarist that replicates past Death member solos quite vividly. Richard Christy is on drums and Scott Clendenin on bass. 

About 80 minutes of a crowd frenzied set, Death is at their best. No one can replicate Chuck's insanely amazing solos and incredibly awesome riff built songs. A mixture of then past and more recent songs. This was after all Death's The Sound of Perseverance tour. The intensity of the live footage is quite immense. The whole band was in sync for every song old and newer.

There stood the figure of a now dead commander of death/progressive metal outputs. Chuck Schuldiner was a legend, both on the set and as a person. Sad to see a man who had all of the potential in the world to give more to the metal community, but left us at such a young age due to brain cancer. Death - Live In L.A. was a maddening collection of impeccable songs.

The sound quality of the album was top notch. You can hear all of the instruments and vocals vividly. Some of Death's best songs are featured on here and a couple that I thought less highly of. Overall, the performance was amazing. The leads were impeccable by both guitarists. Shannon Hamm had a unique picking style and Chuck was fast and furious with his solos.

Overall, a great performance by all band members. If you're a death metal fan and haven't seen this DVD, get it, it's worth it's weight in gold. You can actually see and hear all of the band member's outputs distinctly. Chuck left this Earth too soon but his legacy lives on through his music. Death remains to be the founding group of the death metal genre. No mistaking that.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Review by Felix on December 1, 2021.

Sometimes I think that every metal musician from Finland has sold his soul to black metal. However, Demonztrator “demonztrate” the opposite. And I should have known that Suomi can play different styles of extreme metal, because two guys of this quintet have already left their footprint with The Scourger, a great thrash formation that called it a day much too early. Their second album “Dark Invitation To Armageddon” should be part of the record collection of every thrasher who wants to be taken seriously. Alas, Demonztrator do not breathe the mountain air that The Scourger inhaled, but they also run their business competently, at least from a technical point of view.

Sinister Forces Of Hatred does not belong to the albums that start with a fantastic opener and whose quality crumbles with every further song a bit more. This is both blessing and curse. It feels good to experience the energy of songs like 'Nail Them All' and it’s a joy to get in touch with the more or less atmospheric yet powerful parts of the multi-layered 'Into the Mouth Of Madness'. On the other hand, the opener 'Murderlust' sounds almost as stupid as its name indicates. Free from any kind of melody and suffering from an extremely primitive chorus, it appears as a hardcore track without hardcore vibes or, in other words, a song that does not know its own mission or aim. From this follows that not the song material, but the production provides the first positive element. Sinister Forces Of Hatred can rely on its sharp, transparent and modern yet lively mix.

Frankly speaking, the song material is not as good as its technical implementation. Tracks like 'The Collapse' do not cause me to look for some strong pills to relieve the pain, but they lack an intriguing idea. It is no new finding, but thrash metal is more than shredding the guitars, pummeling on drums and spitting out genre-typical lyrics. I don’t say that lead vocalist Jari Hurskainen does a bad job, but his performance stands and falls with that of his comrades. 'Crossing The Rubicon', for example, has some great high-speed parts with classically rasping guitars and the verses do not lack bitterness, but the pseudo-melodic chorus lowers the song’s overall impression remarkably. Ambivalent feelings occur again and again while listening to this album; the beginning of 'Scavenger Of War' whets my appetite for more, but the song cannot completely fulfill the promise the first tones make. So, it’s the old story: too good to be ignored, but a comparatively big room for improvement. The pretty raw and untamed form of thrash that the band offers can be done better – and I would be glad if the band proves this with its next album. Until then, I focus on Finnish black metal again.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Review by Felix on December 1, 2021.

Sometimes I think that every metal musician from Finland has sold his soul to black metal. However, Demonztrator “demonztrate” the opposite. And I should have known that Suomi can play different styles of extreme metal, because two guys of this quintet have already left their footprint with The Scourger, a great thrash formation that called it a day much too early. Their second album “Dark Invitation To Armageddon” should be part of the record collection of every thrasher who wants to be taken seriously. Alas, Demonztrator do not breathe the mountain air that The Scourger inhaled, but they also run their business competently, at least from a technical point of view.

Sinister Forces Of Hatred does not belong to the albums that start with a fantastic opener and whose quality crumbles with every further song a bit more. This is both blessing and curse. It feels good to experience the energy of songs like 'Nail Them All' and it’s a joy to get in touch with the more or less atmospheric yet powerful parts of the multi-layered 'Into the Mouth Of Madness'. On the other hand, the opener 'Murderlust' sounds almost as stupid as its name indicates. Free from any kind of melody and suffering from an extremely primitive chorus, it appears as a hardcore track without hardcore vibes or, in other words, a song that does not know its own mission or aim. From this follows that not the song material, but the production provides the first positive element. Sinister Forces Of Hatred can rely on its sharp, transparent and modern yet lively mix.

Frankly speaking, the song material is not as good as its technical implementation. Tracks like 'The Collapse' do not cause me to look for some strong pills to relieve the pain, but they lack an intriguing idea. It is no new finding, but thrash metal is more than shredding the guitars, pummeling on drums and spitting out genre-typical lyrics. I don’t say that lead vocalist Jari Hurskainen does a bad job, but his performance stands and falls with that of his comrades. 'Crossing The Rubicon', for example, has some great high-speed parts with classically rasping guitars and the verses do not lack bitterness, but the pseudo-melodic chorus lowers the song’s overall impression remarkably. Ambivalent feelings occur again and again while listening to this album; the beginning of 'Scavenger Of War' whets my appetite for more, but the song cannot completely fulfill the promise the first tones make. So, it’s the old story: too good to be ignored, but a comparatively big room for improvement. The pretty raw and untamed form of thrash that the band offers can be done better – and I would be glad if the band proves this with its next album. Until then, I focus on Finnish black metal again.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10