Detraktor – Full Body Stomp (Massacre Records)
Wednesday, 16th November 2022
Beyond advancing up the label ranks from Violent Creek with their debut album Grinder to Massacre Records for Full Body Stomp, German thrash group Detraktor also had a bit of a shuffle in instrumentation/players between records. Boris Pavlov moved to bass from his previous guitar duties, taking over vocals while new drummer Pablo Cortez serves up a steady, groove-oriented diet in his style next to normal, conventional thrash beats. After taking in a few spins, most ardent followers of all things Sepultura, Prong, Pro-Pain and offshoots from these acts will find plenty to appreciate through these nine tracks.
The low tuned crunchy riffs land salvos to the heart, the bass/drum swinging components propelling those massive hooks even further – be it “Behave” or the Sepultura-esque “Perro” (think Roots-era here). When these gentlemen choose to expand horizons for the seven-minute “Seven”, the song begins in a Southern – Pantera/Down-ish manner, only to turn on a dime around the four-minute mark with distant, clean echoing guitar strains fused into a slow evolving yet penetrating lead break. The power chops barrage of snare/kick hits from Pablo Cortez during “Gorilla” elevates heart rates to triple digit numbers, soon settling into seesaw battle between the speed and heaviness during the verses/chorus. Extra noises or sound clips heighten awareness for the next riff/transition sequence – Detraktor well aware of their duties as performers and songwriters to keep their playing lean, mean, and in your face. Boris as a singer may not necessarily execute the most original lines (his voice in that Tommy Victor meets Lemmy delivery), but he does a serviceable job to get his point across. The swarming nature to the circular up-tempo riff during “Bear Fight” has a current Destruction-esque punch, although the stop/start shifts showcase a North American, crossover vibe.
Full Body Stomp has plenty of aggression/angst on hand – but could be a case of too much familiarity for influences to stand out in a genre of old guard classics beyond newcomers waiting to dethrone anything that stands in the way of world domination.
