"DESTROYERS OF ALL" is a Progressive-Death Metal band from Portugal who struck gold with their mixture of severe sound and clear, crisp technical precision. Throughout "Bleak Fragments" they blend genres and experiment with sounds as well as tempos. One moment it is a howling, roaring hardcore track and the next thing you know it turns into a soft haunting ballad. It's enough to give you whiplash at times. Nevertheless, by the end I was really amped up and excited to have gotten the chance to listen to the record at hand; for I probably would have never come across these guys in my normal life if it weren't for me doing album reviews for Metal-Temple...and that would have been a shame.

"Destroyers of All" definitely earn their "progressive" moniker; I am a big Prog fan, so a band that can blend the brash and oppressive sound of Death Metal with the technical precision of Prog has my absolute respect. Elements of Thrash and Groove seep through tracks like "Hollow Words", which has a mellow ballad sandwiched in-between some violent Death Metal brutality; an arrangement that actually works. "Unexistance" on the other hand dips into Thrash with rapid pacing and wailing screams that would even make James Hetfield jealous.

"Speed of Mind" is a strange beast in that never really commits to a single genre; lacking the intensity and grittiness that characterises Death Metal, but not giving up the growling harsh sound. "Tormento" also maintains some rough edges, in a good way, but also incorporates an operatic chorus - even having the chorus lyrics growled to some beautiful background music.  The final track "Day of Reckoning" exemplifies everything great about this album, incorporating a piano and ending with sounds like that of a child's wind-up music box.

 I really found myself in awe of how committed "DESTROYERS OF ALL" are to putting everything into each song and not sacrificing substance for the harsh tone that comes with Death Metal. If you enjoy Metal and quality music, don't pass up "Bleak Fragments", you can buy digital copies for cheap or really show your support (if you recognise how truly awesome they are) and buy physical copies with goodies like complete lyric sets for each song.

These guys are only the second band I have given a nearly perfect score, and the first was a long-time favourite band (that I tried hard not to be biased towards), but this was no contest, "DESTROYERS OF ALL" rocks hard.