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THE TROOPS OF DOOM
A Mass To The Grotesque

Alma Mater (2024)
Rating: 7.5/10

With Dan Seagrave cover artwork, A Mass To The Grotesque is the second outing from Brazilian death thrashers The Troops Of Doom. For those not in the know, the quartet formed in 2020, naming themselves after the classic Sepultura song of the same name, which is no real surprise considering the band features guitarist Jairo Guedz who played on the 1986 debut Sepultura opus, Morbid Visions. The Troops Of Doom maintains its original line-up, and alongside Jairo the band features vocalist / bassist Alex Kafer, guitarist Marcelo Vasco and drummer Alexandre Oliveira.

With this latest outing the audience gets trampled by the same blustery metal as experienced on 2022 debut album Antichrist Reborn, my only issue being that the vocals seem rather nonchalant throughout. It’s an odd observation for me to make because they are still vicious, but they seem to be lacking bite amidst the storms of riffs, solos and ripping percussion.

This is still potent thrash that so often mixes the Teutonic terror of old Kreator and Sodom with Slayer, especially on ‘Dawn Of Mephisto’ with its speed, while the vocals of a classic Max Cavalera-style in that they are raw and decipherable. ‘Faithless Requiem’ also taps into that vintage thrash strain as the riffs snap angrily at the rampant drums, while some of the solo work here is just wild. ‘Terror Inheritance’ reminds me a lot of Sepultura circa their 1991 classic Arise opus, particularly in the way Kafer violently whips his words out.

There are no bad tracks on offer here, the combo knows exactly what it needs to churn out, vicious yet melodic death-thrash even if much of what is served up is very much recycled (‘Denied Divinity’), but in their defence what else can a band like this do? The Troops Of Doom serve their purpose as a lethal dose into the veins, the four-piece occasionally veering into slower, mid-tempo barrages (‘Psalm 7:8 – God Of Bizarre’ and ‘Blood Upon The Throne’) for sneering variety.

Why I feel that Alex Kafer should be more spiteful and at the forefront with his vocals I don’t know, maybe it’s just the mix, but this is still a deadly strike to the throat.

Neil Arnold

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