UMUR "Swine Plague" is the 6th full-length studio album by Dutch death/thrash metal act Dead Head. The album was released through Hammerheart Records in June 2017. It´s the successor to "Depression Tank" from 2009, so it´s been 8 years since the last studio album release by the band. Dead Head have never been known as the most prolific act, when it comes to output frequency, and six albums since forming in 1989 really isn´t much, but Dead Head have always been uncompromising that way, and have only released albums, when they felt the time was right and they had written enough quality material. There´s been one lineup change since the predecessor as lead vocalist/bassist Ralph de Boer has been replaced by a returning Tom van Dijk. van Dijk was the lead vocalist/bassist on the band´s first four studio albums, but did not appear on "Depression Tank (2009)".

Stylistically "Swine Plague" sounds unmistakably like Dead Head. Predominantly fast-paced and aggressive death/thrash with a rabid dog snarling vocalist in front. The quality of the material is generally high although not all tracks are equally memorable. It´s the frenetic intensity of the performances and the caustic aggression which are the real assets here though, and on those parameters Dead Head deliver one hell of a show. One relentlessly aggressive thrash metal track after another is what the listener is exposed to.

"Swine Plague" features a clear, powerful, and heavy sound production, which suits the material perfectly, and upon conclusion it´s another quality death/thrash release by Dead Head. "Depression Tank (2009)" was a real treat and one of the band´s best releases, and to my ears "Swine Plague" doesn´t quite reach those standards, but it´s close. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Depression Tank" is the 5th full-length studio album by Dutch death/thrash metal act Dead Head. The album was released through Displeased Records in February 2009. It´s the successor to "Haatland" from 2005 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as lead vocalist/bassist Tom van Dijk has been replaced by Ralph de Boer. de Boer would leave Dead Head again in 2011, paving the way for a return of van Dijk in 2012.

You´d expect a change on something as central as the lead vocalist position in a band would affect said band´s sound at least a bit, but that´s not the case with the lead vocalist/bassist switch in Dead Head. de Boer sounds almost one to one like van Dijk, and if I didn´t know from reading the lineup, I wouldn´t have noticed the change. van Dijk had the perfect rabid dog vitriol filled raw vocal delivery for Dead Head´s aggressive death/thrash material and de Boer continues that tradition to perfection.

Stylistically Dead Head pretty much continue the death/thrash metal style of "Haatland (2005)". There are overall more mid-paced heavy sections than on any of the preceding releases, but Dead Head have found a good balance between fast-paced sections and mid-paced sections, to make "Depression Tank" a relatively varied and entertaining release throughout. It´s a balance they haven´t been able to hit this well before.

The songwriting is also slightly more memorable than usual, and paired with the high level musicianship (sharp and skillfully played fast-paced and mid-paced riffs and rhythms, screaming guitar solos, and effective caustic vocals), and a detailed and powerful sounding production, this is a high quality release through and through. I´ve been a bit harsh in the past and haven´t been willing to hand out a 4 star (80%) rating to any of the band´s previous releases, but this time I think a 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved. Fans of aggressive death/thrash with a good sense for heavy grooves and tempo changes, are adviced to give this one a listen.

UMUR "Haatland" is the 4th full-length studio album by Dutch death/thrash metal act Dead Head. The album was released through GMR Music Group in 2005. It´s the successor to "Kill Division" from 1999. "Haatland" was produced by Jacob Hansen at his studio in Ribe, Denmark.

Although it´s been 6 years since the release of "Kill Division (1999)", the music style on "Haatland" is a natural continuation of the style on the predecessor. Dead Head take no prisoners and continue to play aggressive thrash metal in the more brutal end of the scale. A rabid dog snarling vocalist, fast played and mid-paced thrash metal riffs and screaming chromatic guitar solos, and a solid rhythm section able to play both mid-paced heavy beats and much faster rhytms.

"Haatland" opens with a couple of aggressive and heavy tracks, which show the band from their best side and the remaining tracks on the album are also of high quality, but upon conclusion of the album I´m left with the impression that Dead Head are strongest when they play mid-paced sections and less interesting when they play faster-paced ditto. Too often the latter type sections become a little uninteresting and they have a tendency to sound a bit the same on all tracks, while Dead Head really excel when they take the pace down and play more heavy. I don´t usually complain about variation and in this case the rhythmic diversity also brings something positive to the album, but on the other hand I just have to mention the difference in quality when the band change pace. They are just so much stronger when they deliver sharp mid-paced riffs and rhythms.

"Haatland" features a well sounding and powerful production, which was by far their most well sounding production on an album up until then. Dead Head are well playing too and the snarling vocals by Tom van Dijk deserve a special mention. His delivery is beyond aggressive and ear piercing in the most satisfying way. A perfect death/thrash vocalist. It´s just an example of one of the many great features on "Haatland", which overall is a high quality release (despite the issues mentioned above). A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Kill Division" is the 3rd full-length studio album by Dutch death/thrash metal act Dead Head. The album was released through Cold Blood Industries in 1999. It´s the successor to "Dream Deceiver" from 1993, so it´s been quite a few years since the release of the predecessor. There has been one lineup change since "Dream Deceiver (1993)" as original drummer Hans Spijker has returned to the fold and has replaced Marco Kleinnibbelink, who played on the predecessor.

Stylistically it´s onwards and upwards. "Kill Division" features aggressive and sharp death/thrash which is very similar in style to what Dead Head played on the first two albums. It´s closest in style to the more heavy "Dream Deceiver (1993)" than it is to the predominantly furiously fast-paced "The Feast Begins At Dawn (1991)", but the tracks on "Kill Division" features a bit of both worlds. Heavy riffs, ultra fast-paced riffs and rhythms, screaming chromatic guitar solos, and a raw snarling Tom van Dijk in front.

"Kill Division" features 11 original tracks and concludes with a cover of "Heavy Metal Thunder" by Saxon. All tracks are well written and effective and "Kill Division" is packed in a raw and powerful sounding production too, so all in all it´s a quality release. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Dream Deceiver" is the 2nd full-length studio album by Dutch death/thrash metal act Dead Head. The album was released through Bad Taste Recordings in September 1993. It´s the successor to "The Feast Begins At Dawn" from 1991 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as drummer Hans Spijker has been replaced by Marco Kleinnibbelink.

Although "Dream Deceiver" is darker sounding and generally more heavy than "The Feast Begins At Dawn (1991)", the furious death/thrash attack of the debut is intact. Sharp and both heavy and fast-paced thrashy riffs and screaming solos, aggressive pounding drums, and an aggressive snarling vocalist in front. It´s music for fans of thrash from the most brutal and ferocious end of the spectrum and artists like early Invocator and Merciless are valid references, as well as artists like Kreator, Slayer, and Dark Angel.

The material is well written and Dead Head for example understand the importance of changing pace to make the music more varied, instead of just hammering away in fast-pace mode throughout the entire album. "Dream Deceiver" features strong musicianship and a decent sounding production too (it´s a bit on the dry side and the instruments and vocals sound a bit disjointed in the soundscape, but it´s not major issues), so upon conclusion it´s a good quality death/thrash metal release. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.