Declamatory – ‘Human Remains’

This apocalyptic themed debut album by Berlin (self-described) melodic thrashers Declamatory has been some 12 years in the making, and apparently is the first of a triptych of similarly conceptualized offerings…

The concept in question revolves around “the post-apocalyptic war between the Raiders and the Crystal Gods, fought in the world after the collapse of the industrialized civilization” – and, while it follows a reasonably thought out narrative, it terms of following what would be a fairly basic B movie script, from the opening scene setting of ‘The Die Off’ through the wannabe heroics of ‘Law Of The Gun’, the predictable aside of the obligatory ‘Night Club Booze Tale’ to the wandering ‘Nomad’ – it never strays far from standard fare, with the initial potential of the likes of ‘Raider Messiah’ wasted.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPJIFN5Mvn4]

Unfortunately, while there are plenty of classic thrash references, and some attempts at diversity (such as the opening to ‘Nomad’ with its acoustic riff and spoken word verses), this far too often veers too close to melocore, especially in its largely unimaginative vocal delivery, to be taken seriously as a thrash offering.

Having said that, getting in touch with a certain Mr Romero about some soundtrack work might not do any harm…

[4/10]

Track list:

1. The Die Off
2. It’s All Over
3. Raider Messiah
4. Law Of The Gun
5. Night Club Booze Tale
6. Nomad
7. A Perfect Drug
8. Human Remains

‘Human Remains’ is out now and available from http://www.declamatory.de/store