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by Sebastian Kluth

The Future Is Dark but It's All That We've Got - A Review of Deathstars' Everything Destroys You

Deathstars - Everything Destroys You (2023)

A massive nine years after its last regular full length output The Perfect Cult, Swedish quintet Deathstars is finally back with fifth studio record Everything Destroys You. This highly entertaining record offers ten new songs with a compact total running time of forty minutes. Stylistically speaking, not much has changed in all these years. The band still finds an intriguing balance between danceable glam rock, atmospheric gothic rock and rhythmic industrial rock. Atmospheric, creative and melodious keyboard sounds meet stoic rhythms from bass guitar, drums and percussion as well as energetic yet simple guitar riffs. The charismatic, gloomy and gritty male vocals are at times combined with futuristic sound effects. The record also features some additional female singers who manage to provide some depth, emotions and variety to the album. The contemporary production suits the genre mixture very well. The final result sounds intriguingly timeless.

This album offers a respectable number of highlights. ''Midnight Party'' is danceable, melodic and rhythmic as it has single candidate written all over it. The song is catchy and should work splendidly in concert. This being said, a live record by Deathstars should certainly see the light of the night in the near future if it were up to the fans to decide.

''Between Volumes and Voids'' is incredibly catchy as the usual lower register male vocals are supported by melodic female chants that add a remarkable contrast. This is certainly the most instantly memorable song on the new record and has much potential to stand the test of time.

''Blood for Miles'' has a wonderfully eerie, futuristic and mysterious tone with great melodic guitar play, smooth keyboard layers and otherworldly female backing chants. The song has an almost progressive note that should also please fans of experimental rock music from the seventies and eighties without ever sounding old-fashioned or uninspired.

''The Churches of Oil'' almost recalls Swedish phenomenon Ghost with its gloomily sacral keyboard sounds and circus music reminiscences enhanced by a fascinating contrast of hoarse male screams and hypnotizing female chants.

Album closer ''Angel of Fortune and Crime'' is a focused summary of the band's numerous strengths. Melodic guitar sounds collide with airy keyboard melodies while sinister vocals are mixed with futuristic backing chants. The song follows the record's slightly otherworldly guideline and would work wonderfully on the soundtrack of any science-fiction video game. If you are not sure which song to check out first to get a better idea of this album, then this closing gem should give you the most accurate idea with its playful yet compact genre mixture.

At the end of the day, Swedish quintet Deathstars keeps things relatively safe on its fifth studio record Everything Destroys You. Seasoned fans are going to appreciate this new record that might not equal the band's first two strikes Synthetic Generation and Termination Bliss but can easily equal and at times even triumph over Night Electric Night and The Perfect Cult. New fans might as well start the discovery of this band with this new album and try to catch the quintet on tour. Occasional listeners however can also skip this good but not excellent album without any serious regrets. It's simply great to have this band back and here's hope that it won't take another nine years for the next album to drop.

Final Rating: 75%

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