Dawn Of Disease seems to be a particularly persistent troupe of Germans. Founded back in 2003 when they also released a mini-CD Through Bloodstained Eyes, it took them eight years and an apparent break-up in the duration to get to their debut album, the grandiosely titled Legends of Brutality.

As that name might make you expect, the name of the game is indeed death metal, pure and relatively simple. Vocalist Tomasz employs the kind of half-spoken hoarse shout that most of all reminds me of Entombed’s LG Petrov. The musical side feels equally Scandinavian with the technicality of things remaining quite straightforward, although one shouldn’t consider the most frantic riffs and blast beats within easy by any stretch of the imagination. Maybe a little Dismember in there too with the slight melodic tendencies.

As is often he case with albums of this style, the quality of the tunes remains solid throughout the aural carnage but there are few definite high points to latch onto. When White Turns Red mixes rapid riffage with slightly groovy elements nicely while Death Shall Be Mine charms with its grinding blast-section. The band also makes it a little doomy to start Sinister Rapture before pulling off a few off-kilter tempo tricks that combine nicely with the ensuing tremolo-picked guitar storm. A surprisingly melodic solo fits in well too.

The production job is decidedly raw that still feels powerful, although I could’ve used a little more bass, personally. Overall, Legends of Brutality may not live up to its lofty title but is a fine piece of throat-cutting death metal to keep those pits churning with. A few bonus points must be given for employing the greatness of actor Alan Rickman in the record’s intro (a speech sample from the movie Perfume: The Story of a Murderer).