Darkness The Deathsquad Chronicles Review
Darkness
The Deathsquad Chronicles
Massacre Records
2025
Picture it: Sicily, 1945. Okay, okay, I’m kidding. And yes, that was absolutely a Golden Girls reference.
Moving on… Seriously, picture it: Germany, 1985. A sweaty, beer-soaked throng of denim-vested metalheads gathered in a small, dingy club. They’re headbanging, crowd-surfing, and circle-pitting like maniacs while a four-piece band is on stage ripping through fast, aggressive, yet undeniably catchy thrash. Sounds awesome, right? Like some good, friendly, violent fun? That’s exactly where my mind went after spinning Darkness’s latest twelve-song release, The Deathsquad Chronicles.
I’ll begin by sheepishly admitting that until this release landed in my lap, I wasn’t aware of Darkness. My ego takes a hit here, I pride myself on knowing some of the most obscure thrash bands ever, yet these Deutsch destroyers escaped me. Until now. With this album, they seem to be celebrating 40 years in the game! It’s worth noting these aren’t all new songs, but re-recordings of some of their most pivotal and memorable moments from across those four decades. We get choice cuts from Death Squad (1987) and its successor Defenders of Justice (1988), a track from Conclusion & Revival (1989), some long-lost demo material, and yes, two brand new songs. Produced and mixed by Cornelius Rambadt (Rambado Recordings) and mastered by Dennis Köhne, the record packs a punchy, modern production where every palm-muted guitar, lightning-fast drum blast, pocketed bass line, and snarled vocal cuts through cleanly.
Throughout The Deathsquad Chronicles, Darkness skank, gang-shout, and strangle their instruments with venomous vigor. You’ll hear Bay Area histrionics, nods to the holy trinity of German thrash (Sodom, Destruction, Kreator), and even flashes of NYC crossover. From intro “The Gates” into the rapid-fire assault of “Terror for Terror,” it’s clear that tactile precision and unrelenting speed rule the day. This approach continues through “Battle to the Last,” “Death Squad,” and “Soldiers.” Finally, the gas pedal eases up for a baroque classical guitar intro on “Burial at Sea,” which settles into a mid-paced stomp before the acoustic bookend closes it out. It’s a brief respite.
Next up, “Last Round Is on Us” rockets forward with nitro-fueled pacing, the title suggesting they’ve shared more than a few beers with Tankard. “Victims” lands a boot straight to the teeth, followed by the ominous, minor-key intro of “Iron Forces,” before stomping back into high gear. “Defenders of Justice” delivers chromatic death chugs before blasting back to a 200bpm belter. It’s almost as if Darkness use these slower breaks as a wink and a nod, just long enough for us to catch our breath, before pivoting on a dime to beat us into submission again. I love that about these songs.
The album’s longest track, “Predetermined Destiny,” kicks off with tasty guitar leads over a descending chug before sliding into d-beat ferocity. A halftime midsection builds tension and shows off some melodic sensibilities before the chaos resumes. Finally, mercifully, perhaps, Darkness close with “Proud Pariah,” another Teutonic stormer that ends the record with endurance-testing ferocity.
As I said, I hadn’t heard of Darkness before this spin. But good God, am I glad I have now. After 51 exhausting, exhilarating minutes, these guys prove they may be long in the tooth, but it’s a razor-sharp, bloodstained tooth. They can still deliver anthemic, tight, syncopated thrash with the best of the young bucks. Would they tell you to get off their lawn? Probably. But they’d do it with such fury and conviction that even the flipped-bill-hat crowd would respect it. All hail Darkness and the absolute assault and battery that is The Deathsquad Chronicles. They sound youthful, energized, and invigorated here.
Welcome back.
RIYL: Exodus, Kreator, Sodom, Slayer
~TB