Review by Felix on August 24, 2025.

Desaster – a force which is closely connected with the rediscovery of black thrash metal after the icky grunge years. Their famous debut "A Touch Of Medieval Darkness" lived up to its name and brought back the feeling of true underground metal. One of the most fascinating components was the perfect balance between bloodlust and the aforementioned medieval darkness which was expressed in atmospheric songs such as "Visions In The Autumn Shades" or, on "Hellish Crossfire", "Castleland". A few years later, "Angelwhore" catapulted Desaster into a new dimension of brutal quality. This approach worked on this album, but afterwards things became a bit difficult. The missing sinister atmosphere and less strong song-writing reduced Desaster to "just another metal band". This was no good evolution, and at first glance, "Kill All Idols" with its infantile, violence-glorifying and simply bad artwork seems to be another step into the wrong direction. The band says that the album title is "nothing more than an invitation to think for yourself", but come on, are you kidding us? Firstly, I am sure that most metalheads do this since aeons and secondly if this was really the intention, then I cannot imagine a less adequate cover.

But now comes good news – the band has written a couple of really (surprisingly) great songs and even the medieval feeling reoccurs. Moreover, everything is embedded in an earthy, powerful and thrilling sound. This mix reflects the musical ideas of the quartet very well, because it is pure metal, no more, no less. Infernal's crushing guitar lines and Sataniac's impressive, voluminous voice – this guy is blessed with a big portion of natural bestiality – give the material its character, but the guys at bass guitar and drums do a technically flawless job as well. So it did not take a long time until even an old geezer like me realized the class of the songs. The first that forced me to a passionate headbanging session was "Towards Oblivion". Okay, its beginning seems to be a tribute to the intro and the solo of Grave Digger's antique classic "Witchhunter", but who cares. What counts is the music and the verses reveal an enormous drive and a dynamic force that knows no stop sign. Infernal delivers overwhelming lines; play this song in front of a buffalo herd and you can enjoy a stampede in all its colours. Desaster have regained their energy and a few melodic moments during the solo give this hit the final touch. The immediately following quasi-title track increases tempo and intensity even more. Based on a murderous riff, it shows that there is life in the old dog called Desaster yet.

Due to their outstanding strength, these two killers make the comparatively vapid opener and even the solid, galloping "Emanations Of The Profane" fall into oblivion. Yes, a few tracks of "Kill All Idols" do not deserve the highest praise, but the positive aspects of the album are in the majority. For instance, to listen to "Fathomless Victory", the most epic song, is a good experience, because another middle ages scenario shimmers through the melody lines and the entire track mirrors the spirit and the attitude of the band. "Throne Of Ecstasy" delivers the brutal high speed contrast. It picks up the formula of "Towards Oblivion" and "Kill The Idol" – its extremely speedy parts allow only a short slower section in the centre. "They Are The Law" marks the second surprisingly short neckbreaker, a close relative of the idol-killing track. Desaster have put the focus on pretty straightforward songs, no gram of fat and no frills. However, this cannot be said about each and every track – "Ash Cloud Ritual" offers different facets and combines a very violent beginning with a dragging second part. Some very slow rhythms seem to send greetings to formations such as Asphyx, but the tempo changes constantly and Sataniac's voice has space enough to reveal its full cruel charisma. Nevertheless, all in all this album is in comparison with its two predecessors easily accessible and this is meant to be a compliment.

No doubt, Desaster convince with a successful comeback. They may not be in absolute top form, but they certainly don't have to hide with this album. Perhaps it is simply the missing charm of carefree naivety that makes the difference to their early classics. But there are good sides to that. Unlike in the past, they would no longer send 500 euros to a fraudster in Sweden just so that he would include them on a sampler (which has never been produced). So it all balances out. For my part, I'm signing off. I'm going to dive back into the handful of killer tracks on this album.

Rating: 8.4 out of 10

Review by Fernando on July 29, 2025.

When it comes to German black metal, I can't think of any other band that has remained a longstanding, unwavering stalwart as Desaster. While they aren't as well known as some of their compatriots, both peers and predecessors alike, for those in the know, they are one of the most consistent and uncompromised bands out there. And in 2025, they're unleashing their 10th opus, Kill All Idols.

Given Desaster's longstanding as vanguards of primordial Teutonic blackened thrash and with a back catalog of virtually no misses, their particular sound is as defined as it is singular to them. Founder Infernal's shredding riffs and leads are as strong as ever, longstanding member Odin’s bass lines are still the rumbling backbone that compliments the music, vocalist Sataniac has become such an essential fixture of the band that he's as important as their original vocalist Okkulto was, and even their newest drummer Hont, has managed to successfully earn his spot since taking over the kit in 2018. All that to say that the lineup is as strong as ever, their band chemistry is truly outstanding and it makes the music as well as their individual skills pop out more.

As for the music itself, Desaster has any and all fans of first wave black metal, teutonic thrash and black/thrash covered and with riffs to spare. If you want no bullshit, intense and hard-hitting metal, then this record is as old school as it is timeless. While not revolutionary or unorthodox, Desaster knows how to play to their strengths, how they can mix things up, and how to make themselves stand out in what today seems like an oversaturated dystopia where choice is clogged. The most significant change is how Kill All Idols leans a bit more towards the band's atmospheric side, particularly in the longer tracks. This of course isn't completely new, for as long as they've been around they've had instrumental intros and outro tracks –they still do in this new record–, but in this record they really lean in midpaced and even groovy tracks, in that regard they really flex their thrash bonafides, which is of course perfectly complimented by their faster and more intense tracks.

As per usual, the band successfully bring a fresh take to classic underground extreme metal with that distinct Germanic touch, and I'd be doing a disservice to the band if I didn't mentioned Jan Gensheimer who recorded the album at the band's rehearsal space, he has been the band's long time live mixer and has an intimate understanding on how the band sounds in the stage and the studio, and his work speaks for itself, we're hearing the band's distilled and raw sound, perfectly captured. Furthermore, the record was expertly mixed and mastered by Greg Wilkinson of Autopsy fame at his Earhammer Studios, and the end result of the album's production and sound is absolutely crystal clear and gritty. Overall, Desaster do what they do best and continue delivering their brand of banging black/thrash without compromise or quarter.

Rating: 9 out of 10