Sometimes a reviewer gets lucky, as he gets to review a band that he has seen live in their day and is from his home country. I am talking about DONOR, a Dutch Progressive Thrash Metal band originating from Amsterdam. They existed from 1985 until 1995, and in that period they released two full-length studio albums. The debut one was “Triangle Of The Lost”, and it was released in 1992. Their sophomore album is called “Release”, and that one saw the light of day in 1994. I will be reviewing both of them. I can tell you that up and until now I only own the second album “Release”. And that is the one I will be reviewing for you now. The review of “Triangle Of The Lost” is written almost simultaneous to this one. It is also by my hand, and also is to be found on the METAL TEMPLE website.

The first thing to notice is the massive difference in the vocals on “Release” in comparison to those used on “Triangle Of The Lost”. This is understandable and logical, as Richard Dijkman has a totally different vocal range than his predecessor. He uses his vocal cords a few octaves lower, and has a lot more Thrashy sound. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the music has shifted the same way. On “Release” the contrary is actually true, the music is even more progressive than on the debut album. It does give the songs even more depth, but I have to admit that I feel that the tension and suspense I was hearing on “Triangle Of The Lost” is a lot less on “Release”.

I will not dare say that it makes the tunes sound lacklustre. Absolutely not, but due to the lower speed they are operating on they give you a sense of unease as an underlying currant instead of danger. In short; the two albums of DONOR couldn’t have been more different experience wise if they tried to. They both have a lot of strong points and are very much worth being the part of any Progressive and Thrash Metal collection. And even though I am still enjoying “Release”, I personally prefer the debut album “Triangle Of The Lost”. Then again, that’s just me. You now have a chance to find out by yourself, due to these rereleases by METAL WARRIOR RECORDS. I suggest you take this one with both ears.