Deathrow was one
of the frontrunners of aggressive Teutonic thrash/speed metal back in 1986.
Together with Kreator and Destruction they built a formidable spearhead that
pawed the way for many in many cases inferior bands to follow.
'Riders of Doom' was released
one before Deathrow
became Deathrow.
But it wasn't until Noise Records decided to pick them up and change their name
from Samhain to Deathrow
and re-title the album from 'Satan's Gift' to 'Riders of Doom' that a wider
audience took notice to them. 'Riders of Doom' was followed a year later by
'Raging Steel', in my opinion their best and most compete album.
What set
Deathrow
apart from most of the other bands was their ability to be aggressive and
violent and at the same time technical. They were clearly one of the better
technical thrash bands from Germany and it shone through their songs.
These re-releases is not just
for hard-core fans! They show a band with talent that sadly went under in the
massive release-flow that we saw in the late 80s, a band that times surely have
long passed by, but as representatives for a certain time period they can stand
proud, because both albums belong to best in the genre at the time.
