Hutch heads back to Germany to see what lock down did to promising new wave thrashers Dust Bolt…. but maybe they need locking down for another 2 years!!

Mention the name Dust Bolt to thrash connoisseurs and one would usually get a warm nod. Ah yes, the Germans who can kick up a storm. Searching back through my review archive, I found a positive description of their 2016 album Mass Confusion, a better review of 2019’s Trapped in Chaos, and a brief but enjoyable encounter with them in 2019’s Bloodstock Festival.  

So, when their first album since Trapped in Chaos dropped in the review conveyor belt, some quality old school thrash metal appeared on the cards. Or so it seemed. But something has happened to Dust Bolt. They remain firmly within the metal umbrella, but they are far away from the thrash metal that used to be their stock. Now, I’m all in favour of progression, and one of my criticisms within the thrash metal scene is that every band has zero originality. But Dust Bolt have not just stepped away, they have leapt miles.  

After 16 years, the band have shifted substantially. We are told it’s a lockdown album, written when everyone was forced to stay home, and also the first to feature new bassist Tom Liebing. Predominantly written by vocalist / frontman Lenny Bruce, its described as the beginning of a new era for Dust Bolt. “Hey, I got some songs that are definitely Dust Bolt songs!” he recalls. “They sound different, but they need to be on a DB record! Things just came together. We have a studio, but we didn’t have any money or a label, so I decided to record it myself. We had nothing, but fuck it, we just decided to do it by ourselves.” 

Despite the assurances that Bruce gives, “… it’s 100 percent us, perhaps more than ever”, one can’t help but wonder whether this wider, more expansive sound will get the appreciation the band appear to feel they deserve. But enough rambling, what does Sound & Fury bring to the table?  

Things start well enough, with a chunky battering ram of a riff introducing Leave Nothing Behind, albeit this is sounding more metalcore than thrash, with Bruce switching between rough growls and cleans with an apparent ease. The chorus is much more modern metal, a layer of synths adding to the melodious delivery. I Witness follows, and there’s a swirling, Slipknot style stomp to it, an industrial vibe with a big stomping riff. It’s certainly a reasonable song, if a little generic, but the heaviness remains.  

Two songs in and one does wonder where it’ll go next. There are grooves, catchy elements but I Am On, with its gang style chants just sounds desperate. It’s a slower tempo, shades of Stone Sour evident, something that is a feature throughout the release. There’s some faster power on New Flame, with an anthemic quality to Burning Pieces, both super user friendly. It appears that the change in creativity has made Dust Bolt more melodic. And if you thought that those two were looking for radio airplay, then the title track simply hollers for it. It’s another that echoes Stone Sour, right down to the overwrought emotional vocals. Bruce is certainly varying his style throughout.  

The surprises keep coming with the funk boom of Love and Reality, the interlude of the one-minute Bluedeep which leads into Disco Nnection. Now, this is a real struggle, with the vocal refrain horrible. It’s no doubt ironically titled, for there is a real disco vibe running through it. A piano starts You Make Me Feel (Nothing), and a tight feeling of panic at the thought of a ballad grips you. Thankfully there is a decent riff that steps in, but the song then reverts to an emotionally filled struggle. It’s a real difficult one to get through.  

With 12 songs to get through, even though Sound & Fury isn’t that long, it feels like that. Penultimate song Feel the Storm at least has some guts, but the combined clean and shouty vocals don’t do much. Thankfully we reach final song, Little Stone. Sadly, this is just a keyboard induced dirge that sees Bruce indulge in a bit of navel gazing. It’s time to press stop before the ballad induces vomiting.  

Sound & Fury is a hugely brave move. The band’s thrash roots are rarely in evidence on this album, as they have embraced a new sound. In the same way that Lost Society took the virtual kicking a few years ago, Dust Bolt are following their own path. It’s not a path that thrashers will throw their arms around, for some of it is a tough listen. It’s not a terrible record by any stretch, but one feels that the target audience has shifted somewhat. If this is where Dust Bolt want to go, then that’s their choice. It’ll be interesting to see how this comes across as they support Greek thrashers Suicidal Angels in the UK in the Spring. But for now, it’s an album that’s as divisive as anything you’ll hear in 2024.  

Dust Bolt – Sound & Fury is out via AFM Records on the 23rd February