DEKAPITATOR — We Will Destroy...You Will Obey!!! (review)

DEKAPITATOR — We Will Destroy...You Will Obey!!! album cover

Album · 1999 · Thrash Metal

3.5/5 · 2011-08-24
J-Man

Dekapitator's debut effort has a bit of a "cult classic" status nowadays, and is often considered one of the stronger thrash albums from the late nineties. Formed in 1996 by members of deathgrind act Exhumed, this four-piece retro thrash act set out to bring this style of metal back to its roots, and thus this successful debut full-length is born. If you want a brief summary of We Will Destroy...You Will Obey!!!, take one look at the war-themed album art and you'll get a hint. Rough vocals, lightning-fast riffs, and machine-gun drumming make up this entire album - Dekapitator leaves very little time to catch your breath! Although this isn't the most original LP you'll ever run across, We Will Destroy...You Will Obey!!! served as a refreshing change of pace for the thrash metal scene back around its time of release. Thrash metal fans definitely need to check this one out!

We Will Destroy...You Will Obey!!! is old school death/thrash metal in its purest form. Despite being released in 1999, this album just screams "late 80's extreme thrash". The fast riffs, harsh vocals, and machine-gun styled drumming contained on this album are exactly what thrash metal was all about back in the late eighties and early nineties, but the rise of groove-influenced thrash acts really made this old-school style a dying breed back in 1999. Dekapitator has a decidedly retro sound on this album, so their focus is seldom on innovating the thrash metal genre or breaking any boundaries. If their only goal was to simply create a balls-out, heavy thrash metal album, then I'd say they've succeeded tremendously. There are enough killer riffs here to keep you headbanging like a madman the whole way through, and Matt Harvey's rough vocal delivery is excellent. He's known for his diverse vocal abilities in Exhumed, but his Chuck Schuldiner-influenced growls/shouts used here sound equally terrific. The raw production also suits the music perfectly.

As far as I know, the only version of We Will Destroy...You Will Obey!!! that's currently available on the market is the recent reissue from Relapse Records. Relapse gave this classic album a major facelift, and the new version includes four bonus tracks and new packaging. Although the bonus material may only justify re-purchasing the album for die-hard fans, I've had a blast listening to the bonus tracks, and anyone who buys the album nowadays should definitely check out this recent reissue.

All in all, We Will Destroy...You Will Obey!!! is a very impressive debut album from Dekapitator that does exactly what it's supposed to - successfully execute high quality, brutal, down-to-roots extreme thrash metal. There isn't much in the way of originality on this observation, but that's a minor issue when the music is this good. If you're the type of person who enjoys a never-ending assault of heavy riffs in your thrash metal, We Will Destroy...You Will Obey!!! is an easy recommendation. I'd say 3.5 stars are deserved here.