DEATHRAGE “Down In The Depth Of Sickness” /CD/

Re-release of the second full-length album by the cult Italian Thrash Metal band.
Apart from their debut full length album, Deathrage sees their sophomore (and final) full-length album getting reissue treatment as well by Punishment 18 Records. With the Italian Thrash outfit’s debut "Self Conditioned, Self Limited" leaving a rather deep impact with the speed and their references to classic Thrash bands such as Sadus and Dark Angel, it would be nice to hear the band’s progression and evolution that came with the introduction of new vocalist, Alex Nicolini.
Along with the inclusion of Nicolini, on "Down In The Depth Of Sickness", Deathrage ditches their classic Thrash Metal sound for one that is somewhat more Progressive than their previous material. For one, the band has taken down the speed by a notch, and from the melodic approach that is on opening track "D.I.T.D.O.S.", it sounds almost as though the band had taken a more traditional Heavy Metal route instead on "Down In The Depth Of Sickness", upping the heaviness for the reduction in speed on the album. From "Nobody Was Here" onwards, Nicolini’s vocal approach takes some getting used to, with his vocal being less gruff that that of his predecessor, with the aforementioned track even seeing him use a spoken style, though for the most part his vocals sound like a rather frustrated shout. Tracks such as "A Price Too High to Pay" further reinforce that touch of Heavy Metal with the riffs and the lead guitars, at the same time showing the light-hearted side of the band.
Deathrage has this time included some rather Progressive elements into their music, and this could be heard from the numerous rather sudden shifts in pace and tempo throughout the album. Furthermore, "Down In The Depth Of Sickness" also introduced a darker sound to Deathrage‘s music than before, and aside from the overall slower pace and heavier sound that the band utilised on the album, there is also the inclusion of sound and spoken samples at the background to create a lingering haunting atmosphere.
That said, there are still elements that are still reminiscent of their debut, and tracks like "Suicide Age" has a rather heavy Punk edge to it, with that simple single, repeating riff that lasts the entirety of the album and the gang-chants that accompany the track.
Re-edition features seven bonus demo tracks, and while the album tracks themselves might disappoint Thrashers that liked "Self Conditioned, Self Limited", these demo tracks manage to provide some salvation, having a sound closer to the band’s debut!
Punishment 18 Records, 1990/2014 (P18R 079). Made in Italy.


Tracklist:
1. D.I.T.D.O.S. 1:14
2. Nobody Was Here 3:51
3. Suicide Age 3:26
4. A Price Too High To Pay 3:01
5. Who Knows? 3:32
6. La Nausee 2:59
7. Perfect Crime 2:33
8. This One's For Our Friends 2:51
9. Me And My 4 Walls 4:06
10. It's Just A Mistake 3:51
11. A Man In Disguise 4:26
Bonus Tracks:
12. Tribal Approach 0:55
13. When You're Feeling 3:12
14. Starship In The Garden 4:56
15. Pane, Salame E Maionese 3:09
16. Be Cool Man 0:57
17. Man 2:46
18. Fate La Nanna Ciscine Di Pollo 0:37
Total playing time: 52:22