Releasedate: 31-01-2024
In Dutch we have a saying: ‘onkruid vergaat niet’, which roughly translates to ‘weeds will persist’. It’s a perfect saying for Deadly Alliance, who, after some rough years of bandmembers quitting and finding others, are still standing. And not only that, according to their latest EP, are flourishing. So lets untie our hair, and get ready for a good old headbanging session while we listen to Into Depth, the latest EP from Deadly Alliance.
Deadly Alliance
Deadly Alliance is a band from the eastern parts of the Netherlands. They have been around for about 10 years. Their first self-titled EP was already released in 2013, although you can’t find it on Spotify. A few more years of rehearsing, writing, and playing gigs led to the release of the band’s first album, ‘Dehumanization’. Again, not on Spotify, but as all underground bands do, you can find it on Bandcamp.
Dehumanization
With Dehumanization the band showed that they had matured a bit, while still keeping the old-school thrashy vibe the band stands for. The album got some attention through the underground media, but sadly for the band, after the album’s release, they would encounter a few hard years. Not only did they face multiple band member switches, but there was of course corona as well.
It took the band quite a while to finally find themselves complete again (read about that in the interview we did with them). And the coronavirus proved to be a blessing in disguise. Deadly Alliance honed their skills, wrote new songs, and became even harder and more metal than before. And now, as the rebirth of Deadly Alliance in a way, they’ve released their second EP, ‘Into Depth’. Persistence is key, and Deadly Alliance is definitely persistent. As we said in the intro, ‘weeds never die’.
Into Depth
Into Depth is a 4-track EP that spins about 13 minutes. The band is still inspired by old-school thrashers like Anthrax and Annihilator, not only in terms of songwriting but even more so in sound. The EP opens with what sounds like a beer can opening, the guitars testing their sound like in the rehearsal studio, and then it kicks off with Iron Commando. A track a little under 3 min, so you know it’ll be fast. And fast it is. The drums are driving the whole thing forward with lots of kicks and crashes and I have to say, Jesse Noordhuis might be the best thing that happened to Deadly Alliance. His drums stand out and complement the fast riffs and solos from guitarist Arjan very well. You can hear the band has improved their skills in all aspects, and this track has everything you’d want from a trash metal track. Fast riffs, nice gritty vocals, scream-along parts, catchy riffs, and of course guitar solos.
Into Depth
From Iron Commando we dive into Into Deph, the title track for this EP. There is more room for the guitars to show their skills. The second part of the track, with the guitar harmonies, transitions into Cryogenic Sleep. Richard shows his versatile vocals most on this track. I usually dislike thrash-metal vocalists, and I’m not a fan of his high-pitched screams either, but his mid/low gritty vocals have a nice tone. And even though it might not be my personal preference, his high-pitched vocals are well executed.
The EP ends with Necromancer, probably my favorite track. Jesse again has room to shine in this track, with the fast blast beats in the first 30 seconds of the track. This is a track that showcases all the band members the best and also has the most catchy riffs. This for sure is a banger that people will enjoy live, with the scream-along parts and the fast-paced solos. That makes for a great closing track to this 13-minute re-introduction to Deadly Alliance
Final thoughts.
I’m glad this band persisted and didn’t quit after all they went through. They really took their time off to improve their skills and their sounds and managed to come back even stronger. With a 4-track EP, I don’t really need to name a favorite track, you can just listen to the whole thing in one go. My personal favorite would either be Iron Commando, or Necromancer since they have the best hooks and catchy riffs. I hope the band is still working on more material, so we can hear even more of this band later this year.
You can find Deadly Alliance on Facebook, or their own website.
