Review by Lydia Evans for MPM
Dust Bolt’s latest release, Sound and Fury, will arrive on 23rd February 2024. The band formed in Bavaria, Germany, in 2007, and has established themselves as one of Europe’s leading thrash metal bands.
Currently made up of vocalist Lenny Bruce, guitarist “Flo Dee” (Florian Dehn), drummer Nico Remann, and bassist “Exx Tom” Tom Liebing, the new album follows their previous from 2019, Trapped in Chaos.
Sound and Fury was written during the isolated months of lockdown and is reflective of how the band has evolved over time.
Whilst being known as a thrash metal band, this album shows versatility and has tracks more reminiscent of hard rock and even the song Disco Nnection with a disco beat. While this may not be every thrashers’ cup of tea, I find it dynamic and interesting, and makes the album even better.
Frontman Lenny spoke about the new album and the band’s evolution; “Absolutely, it’s a natural evolution…we’ve expanded but we haven’t changed.
We felt like we got the label of being a thrash metal band, and it was restrictive. We couldn’t do certain things because they wouldn’t be considered thrash! But it was a good time, during the pandemic, because there was no media, no press, and I didn’t check emails and stuff, so we were free.
I would write a riff and I didn’t care if it was thrash metal or not. It was a good time to really find out who I am as a guitar player and as a singer, and I took the time to really find it out and then we made the record. So there is a change in style, but it’s 100 percent us, perhaps more than ever.”
The album begins with Leave Nothing Behind, a heavy yet upbeat track that sets the tone for what’s to come. I Witness is especially satisfying to listen with headphones, given the travel – the muddy, heavy guitars and deep vocals float around your head.
I Am The One is a heavy metal anthem of chanting vocals and a passionate guitar solo showing off guitarist Florian Dehn’s talent.
New Flame features a piercing, catchy guitar riff and inspiring lyrics of “I’m gonna do it no matter what you’re thinking / I’m gonna be myself in every situation”.
This rings true to the theme of the album. Burning Pieces has an 80s hard rock feel. Bassist Tom Liebling stands out on this track with the distinctive bassline.
You can really hear all the moving parts and every instrument. Title track Sound and Fury takes us back to the thrash vibe: it’s powerful with a steady rhythm section, but has melodic guitars and another stand-out bassline.
Vocalist Lenny Bruce shows off his dynamic vocals on this track – he can be soft or he can have the thrash style vocals, and he has impressive range.
Love_Reality is another dynamic listen with heavy guitars and a strong rhythm section with especially impressive percussion work thanks to drummer Nico Remann. Bluedeep is under two minutes and features radio static and a flute playing over.
It’s a bit like an interlude that comes before the next track, Disco Nnection. Disco Nnection is the blend of metal and disco I didn’t think I needed, but did – it’s fantastic. With distorted guitars, a heavy riff, booming fuzz bass, and that disco beat underneath, it’s such a fun track.
It has a real groove to it – the guitar solo is particularly groovy. The juxtaposition of disco and metal is so fresh, and this song just makes you want to dance.
You Make Me Feel (Nothing) is what follows. The softer verses explode into heavy choruses. This and Feel the Storm show the thrash roots with the aggressive vocals and vigorous guitars.
Little Stone is the final track. It’s a subdued song that I think is a great fit to finish out the album with – it’s more emotional and introspective. The instrumentals on this one are funky and have a unique, cool tone.
This album shows how you can add different influences to the backbone of the music you play – even disco to metal – and can create success. It’s heavy and aggressive, but it’s catchy and energetic.
I have a lot of respect for bands that refuse to let themselves get caught up in a genre or label, and just make music that’s genuinely true to themselves – this shines through and you can feel that authenticity in the music. Bravo Dust Bolt for this killer release.
Dust Bolt is currently on their Sound and Fury tour across Europe. They will also play upcoming festivals in Germany such as the Mammut Festival and the Easter Cross Festival later this year
DUST BOLT Sound & Fury Tour 2024 (presented by EMP & Metal Hammer, Tickets: https://dustbolt.com/pages/tour-dates
22.02.2024 (DE) München – Strom
23.02.2024 (DE) Köln – Helios 37
24.02.2024 (DE)Frankfurt – Nachtleben
25.02.2024 (DE) Erfurt – From Hell
27.02.2024 (DE) Berlin – Cassiopeia
28.02.2024 (DE) Hamburg – Bahnhof Pauli
29.02.2024 (DE) Hannover – Lux
01.03.2024 (DE) Bochum – Rockpalast
02.03.2024 (DE) CHAM – L.A.
15 Mar 2024 Metal Mammut Festival – Königsbrunn (Ger)
21 Mar 2024 Karlsruhe – Stadmitte (Ger)
23 Mar 2024 Oilsjt Omploft Festival – Aalst (Bel)
30 Mar 2024 Easter Cross Festival – Oberndorf a. Neckar (Ger)
18 Apr 2024 P.M.K – Innsbruck (Aut)
19 Apr 2024 Explosiv – Graz (Aut)
20 Apr 2024 Chelsea – Wien (Aut)
26 Apr 2024 Mosh´n´May Festival – Schapen (Ger)
27 Apr 2024 Weser Metal Meeting – Reinhardshagen (Ger)
21 Jun 2024 Full Force Festival – Ferropolis (Ger)
06 Jun 2024 Les Chariots Furieux Festival – Gaudry (Fra)
19 Jul 2024 Baden in Blut Festival – Weil am Rhein (Ger)
24 Jul 2024 Tolminator Festival – Tolmin (Slo)
26 Jul 2024 Headbangers Open Air – Brande-Hörnerkirchen (Ger)
27 Jul 2024 Afdreiht un Buten Festival – Vechta (Ger)
09 Aug 2024 Doibach Open Air – Doibach (Ger)
10 Aug 2024 Bucovina Motor Fest – Cetatea de Scaun a S
Preorder here: https://shop.afm-records.de/dust-bolt/
For More Info Visit:
http://dustbolt.net
https://www.facebook.com/dustbolt
https://www.instagram.com/dustbolt_official
https://twitter.com/dustboltband
https://www.tiktok.com/@dustbolt
https://shop.afm-records.de/dustbolt