Anyone who prefers their Thrash Metal mercilessly fast and heavy had a field day in 2024 with the debut album from Washington, D.C.-based Desolus. The band, at that time still a power trio, delivered a relentless dose of Thrash Metal that had many people reminiscing about days gone by. The late ’80s, to be precise. Those same people can now look forward to a similar musical beating with this second Desolus album.
We don’t really need to dwell on the obvious musical parallels; Desolus is still drawing from the same well, with the result that ‘Dweller Of The Twilight Void’ still sounds like a mix between early Kreator and Dark Angel. The speed is still there, and the snarling vocals, occasionally punctuated by a high-pitched scream, leave nothing to the imagination. But it’s mainly the abrupt accelerations and the sharp riffs that constantly bring to mind the heyday of Dark Angel.
Although Desolus aren’t breaking any new ground and aren’t even making an effort to innovate in any way compared to their previous album, that is precisely where the band’s strength lies. Desolus clearly has the motto “strength through perseverance” written all over them. The only change is that with the addition of Bileh Dougsiyeh as permanent drummer, as he had previously been the band’s live drummer, and consequently abandoned the idea of a power trio. That change, however, has had no impact whatsoever on the music, though it is likely that the lion’s share, if not all, of ‘Dwellers Of The Twilight Void’ had already been written before Dougsiyeh joined.
Compositionally speaking, the band certainly proves it knows its stuff. Even within the somewhat narrow confines of the genre, Desolus demonstrates that, with the right dynamics and “simply” good, memorable riffs, it’s still possible to create exceptionally good music. Although I don’t know exactly how songwriting credits are divided within the band, part of the explanation for this mystery may lie in the fact that several band members have gained a great deal of experience in a short period of time. Jimmy Frost has been the live guitarist for Enforced since 2024, but it is primarily multi-instrumentalist Travis Stone who boasts an exceptionally impressive resume with Pig Destroyer, Nailbomb, and Cavelera Conspiracy. That experience is undoubtedly reflected in what Desolus is today: an undeniable force in the contemporary Thrash Metal scene, which will certainly also appeal to fans of bands like Demolition Hammer, Morbid Saint, and Sadus.
