Deimos’ Dawn – Anthem of the Lost

Deimos’ Dawn are relatively new to the Thrash scene. Hailing from Germany the’ve been around since 2017 but haven’t really gained too much traction until 2023 with their debut, ‘Anthem of the Lost.’ It was pretty much just drums via Mathias Schmidt, bass by Matthias Lange, and guitar via Andy Doe until they recruited vocalist Marc Grewe (ex-Morgoth) from Discreation and Insidious Disease. It is a bit of a surprise they chose him because most of his vocal work is a Death Metal style, so perhaps listeners were expecting to hear something along the lines of a Death/Thrash group like Vader or Legion of the Damned. However, listeners might be pleasantly surprised to find that Deimos’ Dawn’s style is more of a mid paced Thrash very similar to the rather ‘anthemic mid paced churgs’ of the likes of mid era Slayer like ‘Seasons in the Abyss’ or the divisive ‘Christ Illusion.’ This is Thrash at its most accessible and a really good record to hear for those who are not used to the genre, but don’t want to dive into the minstream bands like Megadeth, Metallica, or Exodus. Granted, one can hear traces of some of the more ‘single’ hits out there from such aforementioned bands, but ‘Anthem of the Lost’ is a strong listen that balances between Thrash and Rock and touches of Death Metal for a balanced, easy ride.

As the album title suggests, the music here is anthemic. It is memorable. While sometimes the song titles and lyrics may seem a little laughable like ‘Too Much Pain is Not Enough’ or ‘Deathstar Spangled Banner,’ despite whatever cheesy lyrics might be there, the way the riffs go along with the drums and when the vocals belt out that chorus, one is going to find themselves singing along for sure. Deimos’ can show atmosphere to build tension such as with the opening track, ‘Feeding the Decline,’ and then jump right into things. This track is a good example of some of the harder tracks, and even here it doesn’t quite overwhelm like a Speed Thrash track or a blazer like something from Testament. Vocals are a mix of that typical Chuck Billy roar mixed with some Death Metal grunts, but even with the ‘hoo!’ chants, again, very anthemic, and also will tie back to Marc Grewe’s other projects. The pace is still very ‘Chist Illusion’ style, so expect a bit of a limitation to the creativity to the riffs, broken up by some melodic solos, but despite repetition, again Deimos’ Dawn succeed in building strong choruses that still make the track enjoyable that one can forgive some overly repetitive songwriting. ‘Walking Out on You’ is another one of those hybrid ‘Rock/Thrash’ tracks with somewhat generic lyrics, but again the groove and catchiness of the track is infectious, so while some Thrash purists might argue the song is trash, most listeners will still enjoy. One can tell a band is good if they can make the most generic song sound decent.

One of the most infectious tracks on the album is ‘When In Doubt: Kill.’ Lyrically, not the best, but that opening riff slaps hard and churns along with the rest of the music. Reminiscent of ‘Trigger Finger’ by Chimaira off ‘Age of Hell,’ it is another track to show how mid paced Thrash mixed with some Rock elements work best. Lyrics are childish, but again, Deimos’ specialty is making the music sound good so one doesn’t really care about the lyrics. On the other hand, there are more insightful tracks like ‘The Final Illusion’ which boasts some better lyrics, a enjoyable riff structure, and quite a bit of melody also aside from just meaty chugging riffs. This is a fine example of mid paced, decent Thrash that doesn’t carry on too long and also seems to blend a little bit of that Death Groove element to it from a band like Torture Killer. Overall, ‘Anthem of the Lost’ is a fun album. Not quite meant to be a lyrical genius, or showcase anything show-stopping in the instrument department, but every track is just catchy. Much like ‘Christ Illuision’ from Slayer a lot of Thrashers will probably be divided saying it is genius or garbage, but either way this album will make an impact and is recommended to anyone who has not heard Thrash or much Metal in general before and wants to hear something a bit more underground but rather accessible and less commercialized.