DAV DRALLEON - STREET KRVZADER
Review by Atomic Rabo-Kid
In Dav Drelleon’s latest LP, STREET KRVZADER, We find ourselves in the dark alleyways of Abaddon, a City full of repression. A City whose citizens are controlled through force, either physical or psychological. Dangerous gangs exerting violent power and mega corporations twisting the use of AI to manipulate the human mind. The evil Valhalla have the city under total control! Or do they? Thankfully, all is not lost due to groups of rebellious factions uniting and creating Zantetsuken. A hybrid cyborg that welds immense power and battle prowess! They are the only hope to save humanity and destroy the machines that threaten its survival!
'Who will survive this war? Let's listen to find out!
'Metal Warriors' is a powerful introduction both to the brutal sonic soundscapes which is prevalent across this album and to one of the aforementioned rebellious factions. Epic guitar work sets the scene whilst a high tempo synth melody sets the blood to boiling point. The street battles are violent and so is this track! Vicious guitar hooks ensnare us, as Dav Dralleon showcases his extreme ability to play extremely barbaric music!
'Deathbringer' Feat. Irving Force is a track I've been wanting to hear from Dav Dralleon for a long time. As, I've been intrigued to discover what such aggressive music sounds like with equally aggressive vocals. Boy, I'm not disappointed, It easily satisfies my intrigue! Irving Force does an incredible job here and his ferocious vocals align perfectly with the unbridled aggression of this track. The vocal skills are perfectly balanced, showing similarities between the voices of the front men from Cradle of Filth and Sylosis. A scorching track!
'Street Krvzader' starts with a face melting riff and an explosive array of brutal beats! Heavy metal percussion helps create an intense juxtaposition with the guitar work fluctuating into an aggressive series of cutting grooves! Heavy breakdowns and risers grab your attention throughout!
'Vulkan Force' launches us straight into the action, with a fast and frantic higher end solo guitar and interesting dark glitched vocal elements. This is supercharged high tempo action, at its best! Furious lead guitar pierces through the background of rapid fire doom laden beats. There's ample amounts of glitched percussive sampling that makes for an explosive listen.
The glitched beats remain with 'Quarter Of The Iron Priest', with a heightened intensity and sensitivity in crafting a soundscape that to my ear, at least, is reminiscent of Aphex Twin, when his tracks let rip into an explosive percussive sequence. It's pure genius the way these beat led rhythmic elements are woven and timed to perfection!
'Zantetsuken' explodes through the speakers with violent guitar and rapid fire drums culminating in a bass filled deep rhythm that would rile up a mosh pit with devastating effect! More signature glitchy, metal, noise percussion rips through the expertly laid riffs. This track, like most on the album in fact, is simply mind-blowing.
Sludgy dark structural elements, cutting lead guitar, frantic beats and a touch of the orient is what 'Ryu Cyberblade' is all about. Revenge is what he seeks and Abaddon should be fearful for he is a powerful lone warrior out for blood! This track encapsulates raw high adrenaline fight scenes where bad blood is spilt by the plenty!
Somehow the tone finds a way to get even darker, monstrous growls and tuned down plucks introduces us to 'Vertikall Daemon' Feat. Moris Blak. These swarming sounds pass by us paving the way for a blistering onslaught of sound where the darkest techno ensues. This attack takes on a more dance floor persona, than is evident in the rest of the album and I love it! There's an awesome balance of Dark Techno, powerful percussion, deep shredding and the darkest of Darksynth. What a blend and with magnificent results!
The tense atmospheric emotions are well crafted in 'Valhalla Sektor 99', the track starts with futuristic sweeps and metallic thuds. High pitched synth work creates an eerie, deathly soundscape. 'Valhalla Sektor 99', set on a lower BPM, takes us into a deep journey into the cyber city of Abaddon, through the intense layers of sound. Drone sounds and darkness that culminate in terrifying vocal samples.
'Abaddon Lethal Future Shock' is the finale, to a truly mind blowing album. The despairing future of the City of Abaddon is played through with intensity with plenty of twists and turns. An epic track, on every level, for every second in this monster 9 minute 11 seconds song!
Overall, STREET KRVZADER is honestly one of the heaviest and meticulously excellent albums I've heard in a very long time. Perhaps, even ever! Which is saying something having grown up on albums like Sepultura's 'Arise' and Slayers 'Reign in Blood'. Dav Dralleon has captured the essence of pure violence and bottled it in a sound that represents raw, unadulterated, visceral aggression. Sure, it may not be everyone's cup of tea. But, who wants tea when you can drink straight from the bottle with the dark lords and become an immortal?
Dav Dralleon deserves tons more attention than he currently receives, after all he manages the roles and skills of a multitude of band members usually expected in a traditional metal band. He brings new elements with every release and is a sonic force to be reckoned with! A real master of the heavy metal craft demonstrating not only highly skilled technique but also an understanding of how to get you up and headbanging! Or, whatever the kids do these days! Song composition is just spot on, complex and technically brilliant! STREET KRVZADER blends traditional heavy metal elements with Metalcore, Shredwave, Darksynth, Cyberpunk and Metalstep seamlessly and with incredible results. There's a lot in this for any fan of the harder styles of metal music or any of the genres mentioned above. So, prepare yourself! Then, go and have a listen!
