Desaster

Churches Without Saints

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Genre: Black Metal, Thrash Metal.
Released: 04/06/2021
Via Metal Blade

Album Review: Desaster – Churches Without Saints

German metallers Desaster are back with a brand new album titled ‘Churches Without Saints’. The band’s mix of Black Metal and Thrash has had fans eager to hear more of the unique blend of music that Desaster is quickly becoming known for. After all the praise I’ve heard around the bands 2016 release ‘The Oath of an Iron Ritual’ , I just had to check them out. Here is my review of Desaster’s ‘Churches Without Saints’.

Straight off the bat, the album is full of Atmosphere with songs like ‘Learn to Love the Void’ and title track ‘Churches Without Saints’ really nailing the sinister sound and feeling the band are after. Using tremolo picking and a very raw sounding guitar tone, Desaster has managed to improve on the black metal sound that made their last album so successful. 

Thrash is another huge part of the band’s arsenal and tracks like ‘Sadistic Salvation’ and ‘Armed Architects of Annihilation (In Clarity for Total Death)’ are spotlights for the band’s ability to blend blistering riffs with a more evil esc aesthetic. Not to mention how prominent the drumming is throughout these faster tracks. Blast beats and syncopation captivate your mind and help to tie the carnage together.

The album isn’t perfect however and there are a few tracks that missed the mark for me. First on the chopping board for me is ‘Hellputa’, a bit of a jumbled mess that loses its own flow more often than not while ‘Exile Is Imminent’ suffers from just not really fitting the bill. It comes across as a bit too different and the song flows feels like a completely different style to anything Desaster have put out thus far.

Nevertheless, the album has a strong ending sequence with ‘Primordial Obscurity’, ‘Endless Awakening’ and ‘Aus Asche’ managing to leave a lasting impression on me. These three songs showcase everything that the band is capable of, from their gloomy black metal, their assault of thrash and their ability to create some truly outstanding atmospheric music. I highly recommend listening to these songs in order! 

In the end, ‘Churches Without Saints’ is a decent entry from Desaster. It may not top their previous work, however it has a tonne of personality and charisma that allows its high points to stand out above its lows. There aren’t many bands that would be able to pull off this sound yet Desaster have once again proven that they are mostly up for the challenge.