German thrash machine Dew-Scented thrives on consistency and reliability. In keeping with the reputation of their homeland, their output is precise, consistent and adheres to strict quality standards. The band’s back catalogue is full of anger and pure auditory violence, the kind that is emitted equally in all directions and makes the listener shout in agreement. Intermination is not the reinvention of Dew-Scented by any means, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone familiar with the band’s previous works. Not one of the previous nine albums came as a standout reinvention album, for this is not the kind of restless band that’s continuously looking for a new sound. There may be a tangible formula in their work, and most songs are between three and five minutes, but that’s made up for with fervent energy and plenty of punch that can hardly be found elsewhere.

The aptly titled introductory track ‘Declaration of Intent‘ serves its function brilliantly, signaling the band’s intention to thrash. ‘On A Collision Course‘ brings forth the bedlam with Leif Jensen’s typical growls, a neck-breaking tempo and chugs galore. It sets the bar for the rest of the album, which also isn’t a surprise seeing that they pulled the same trick on the past three albums. The pace remains relentless throughout the forty four minutes as ‘Affected Gravity‘, ‘Ode to Extinction‘ and ‘Ruptured Perpetually‘ cleverly blast on with fervor and unleash some terrific guitar solos. ‘Living Lies‘ offers the album’s best lead guitar work while the following piece ‘Atavistic‘ is one of those classic Dew-Scented pieces that could have fit perfectly on 2005’s Issue IV, which leads to an important point.

While Dew-Scented may be accused of being formulaic, the fans’ camp would retaliate by shining a light on the band’s development over the years. The efficiency and brutality of their performance just keeps on getting better with each record which is quite a feat coming from veterans of more than two decades of experience. The band’s line-up has seen a veritable cornucopia of Germany’s finest metal musicians, yet the identity remains solid thanks to the band’s mastermind Leif Jensen. Dew-Scented’s place on the modern metal map is firmly rooted in the classic thrash mentality yet they continue to blend a lot of death metal elements in their sound. Intermination is proof positive that Dew-Scented is not the band to mess around with complex time signatures and exotic instruments; it’s a band with a clear idea of what it wants to sound like and has the capabilities to do so with style.

Dew-Scented’s Intermination gets…

3.5/5