I had heard so many controversial comments 'bout this German act that I was double curious to check out for myself what the hell Dew-Scented is. Being in a premier European Metal label doesn't mean that much to me anymore, since I need extra space in this mag to put all the fake heroes in columns... I admit I liked the blood running on the album's front cover and I guess you realize that Issue VI is my first correlation to the band; thus, bury the hatchet please...
Some info: Formed in 1992...hmmm...name inspired by Edgar Allan Poe...cool...debut album Immortelle (1996) for SPV/Steamhammer...alright...blah blah blah...Dan Swano produced the sophomore effort Innoscent (1998)...mmm...endless live shows with bands like Deicide, Morbid Angel, Overkill, Edge Of Sanity, Dismember...hmmm...participation in Wacken (It's only me in Europe that hasn't played in Wacken yet...)...blah blah blah...Andy Classen (Holy Moses) produced Inwards (2001), they opened for 'German Thrash Metal Trinity Kreator, Destruction and Sodom' in 2002, played in various European Metal fests, supported Cannibal Corpse (Rock, yeah!)...OK, that's a good start to get to knowing some stuff about the band.
Prior to the brief opinion 'bout what I heard, I hate - as a decent 80's Thrash Metal maniac - bands like The Haunted, Shadows Fall, today's Sepultura and similar stuff that are labeled as Thrash (or Death, at times) Metal bands. Not to be opposing - of course - their music's quality, but pardon me; speed guitars and double bass drumming added by brutal/distorted vocals are not enough to carry the legacy of dozens of legendary bands - on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean - that created monumental songs/albums 15 - 20 years ago. You don't have to be really angry to do what they did; still, you MUST be evil. 'Nuff said...
On to Issue IV: This is definitely a full grown album, with an excellent production and fresh air all the way down. I can witness a tendency for catchy tunes, even if brutality is apparent in most tracks. Thunderous vocals, bursting guitars and a rhythm section featuring endless amounts of adrenaline. Hence, you won't have the chance to slow down for 45' 55''. Thrash-meets-Death-meets-00's Extreme Metal is the formula - the band's devotees know this already - and the outlook features Slayer, Sepultura, The Haunted and any of the N.W.o.A.H.M. representatives directing the Dew-Scented sound to their familiar paths.
This album must be a real gem for goys that dived into extreme Metal music in the mid 90's. I mean, if you haven't lived parallel to the bursting out of the German Thrash scene, the U.S. Thrash storm or the early Death Metal movement and you've only heard the relevant bands as living myths, then I guess Issue VI sums it up under one album/style and it won't be difficult for Dew-Scented to rise up to a significant scale in the Global Metal landscape. It's true that there's lots of magic in this album, referring to elements like the clear yet heavy sound, the elegance in songwriting and the distinctive track running order. Not to be forgotten, anger breaks loose in every single track, and I strongly know how much this specific emotion applies to the Metal youth of today.
Speaking as a metalhead grown up to the likes of Destruction, Sodom, Onslaught, Pestilence, Death, (up to the early 90's) Sepultura or Slayer, I cannot guarantee that blokes of similar taste/feel will consider this something special. On the other hand, someone born the same year Kill 'Em All, Show No Mercy, Sentence Of Death, Seven Churches or Leprosy came out obviously labels Dew-Scented as contemporaries and must pursue this release which - as I can see in teenagers' savor - can/will place this German act on top respect globally.