The Dregs of Hades

After the chilling, grotesque overture of instrumental intro Death Itself, Brother Of Sleep, the fifth Lock Up album explodes and keeps on exploding for a gruelling, sinew-wrenching 40 minutes of black-hearted speed-worship. By no means one-dimensional, the album takes occasional brain-mangling detours into dark experimentation, not least on towering closer Crucifixion Of Distorted Existence. But above all, The Dregs Of Hades is a devastating display of blasting belligerence, with a blazing, old school soul and obsidian filth under its fingernails. Sound-wise, it stirs a kind of mid-’80s vibe, that horrible, South American, heads-down Sarcfago attack, you know! That’s the spirit of Lock Up. If people are looking for something dynamic and different, they should probably look elsewhere! The sound of veteran brutality enthusiasts letting rip like there’s no tomorrow – and let’s face it, there might not be – The Dregs Of Hades is both a peerless addition to Lock Up’s recorded legacy and the starting point for a new era of celebratory sonic destruction. Catch them if you can!!