Time Signature King of kings...

Genre: satanic speed metal

A collection of out-of-print rarities by Deströyer 666 "To the Devil His Due" could not be more appropriately titled. Ironically, being limited to 1000 vinyl copies, this compilation is in itself a rarity, which should make it very attractive to collectors.

The very first track is entitled 'Satanic Speed Metal' - again, a brilliant choice of title by Deströyer 666, because the listener is treated to a blend of speed metal and black thrash on this album. This should be no surprise, of course, to incarnated fans of the band, but collectors with a general interest in speed and thrash metal will perhaps be interested to know that the tracks on the album combine the tempos and aggression of thrash metal with the dark intensity of black metal while incorporating the emphasis on speed, as well as - at times - the melodic aspect of speed metal. While some of the tracks are more all out speed and thrash metal, others include black metal blastbeats and tremolo-picking combined with thrash elements, as is the case of 'Levens Bloed' and 'Through the Broken Pentagram'. In any case, we are definitely not dealing with a compilation of second rate material - the songs collected here are actually quite good.

Given that this is a compilation, the production varies from track to track, with some tracks having a raw and lo-fi sound to them, while others are well-defined and crisp in sound. This is indeed a plus with compilations, because it documents not just the musical development of the band in question, but also the different types of productions they have embraced.

Metal release collectors in general and Deströyer 666 fans should definitely try to get a hold on this compilations if they do not already own the rare releases from which the tracks on "To the Devil His Due" are taken. Even on compilations Deströyer 666 deliver the goods.