Hailing from the City of Screaming Spires – commonly known as Oxford – Desert Storm have been wielding mighty riffs with incredibly tight grooves and soaringly triumphant vocal melodies since 2007. As those devoted to all things progressively hefty will know, they have evolved consistently in this space of time and have made a name for themselves with their unique blend of progressive metal and stoner doom, which in turn has given them a powerful live presence. Their fifth album, Death Rattle, sees them take the evolution of this crushing combination one step further. Following on from 2020s seminal album Omens would be no mean feat, however Death Rattle more than stands up to the challenge, with plenty of riffs, delivered with brutal efficiency.
With each song lyrically focusing on a singular tale, connected by common themes and weaved together by Desert Storm’s masterful songwriting, mix in a hefty dose grit and Death Rattle certainly leaves an indelible mark on you. With this in mind, Desert Storm slowly build the layers throughout this album, creating an interesting and captivating array of softer, emotive melodic sections and monolithic, fuzz laden sections. Across Desert Storm’s back catalogue they have been able to evolve this balance of light and dark with intriguing compositional transitions, and Death Rattle feels like the current pinnacle of this continual and consistent development that the band have undertaken.
The more expansive sound that the band have adopted on this album plays marvellously to their strengths. The grooves have more space to move and make a significant impact, especially when Desert Storm are in full flow. In comparison to Omens, Death Rattle unleashes the band’s full sonic capabilities whilst still maintaining their signature visceral, emotive and raw energy. This is best captured in ‘Salt Of The Earth’, as Desert Storm utilise a wonderful acoustic passage to lull you into the song before hitting you with a slab of huge, distorted riffs. The band have got stronger and stronger at utilising the acoustics tones since 2018s Sentinels and it adds a unique element to their sound. As the delicate guitar melodies intertwine with Matthew Ryan’s distinct vocals.
One of the stand out songs on the album is the lead single ‘Cheyne Stoking’. The nearly eight minute track is packed with existential lyrics, powerful emotion and dynamic atmospheres. The song consumes you as Desert Storm effortlessly transition between light and dark, venturing through all the shades of grey in between. Another example of this is the aforementioned ‘Salt Of The Earth’, the intimacy of the acoustic guitar adds an earthy emotional layer as the bluesy melodies resonate in your soul. While ‘Master of None’ is built on a solid progressive doom foundation, the main groove is hypnotic. While the rest lead melody provides catchy hooks that will be lodged in your ear long after the album has finished. This further reinforces the fact that Desert Storm have a brilliant ability to write songs that are interconnected by subtle musical devices within the natural ebb and flow. As each song moves into the next with consistent momentum, you do have to marvel at how well Death Rattle has been written and arranged.
Desert Storm have certainly taken themselves up another gear, Death Rattle demonstrates their incredible consistency and more, bringing together the strongest elements of their compositional skills and creating a hefty slab of powerful riffing and raw emotion. Desert Storm are one of the most versatile and distinctive sounding bands in the UK and Death Rattle reaffirms their position in the upper echelons of the doom and metal scenes.