I guess the term retro fits this case like a glove. Thumbs up go to all bands who try to play just like legends of the 80's did and do it really well without sounding like crappy copy / paste imitations. Riding With The Reaper sounds like an album released in the 80's but that you have never heard of up till now. Can this be a good or a bad thing? Let's see...
Deceiver was formed in January 2004 by guitarist Pete Flesh (ex- Maze Of Torment), Criller Lundin (bass, ex-Xenofanes), Magnus Flink (drums) and Destromo (vocals). In May 2004 they released a five track CD (while the LP contained one more song). In March 2005 they entered Abyss studio again with Tommy Tagtgren to record their first full length album.
Riding With The Reaper has only one problem. Lack of originality. Anything in here has been played in some way in the past. Again, we are not talking about copycats but to be honest: how original can you sound when you try to play exactly the same way 80's bands did? Not too original, right?
On the other hand, this album is filled with noisy Thrash Metal the way this was invented by Venom and Motorhead. The band also mentions Judas Priest as a source of inspiration but I can't really find the resemblances. The production is pretty good, of course, always in the spirit of the whole concept.
Some really cool tracks are Raise Your Horns, Slay The Rainbow and Cover The Wounds. So, I guess it is up to you. Are you searching for some good old Thrash Metal? Here's the answer!