DEATHFALL – Reborn

The band Rimmshot was formed in the mid 90s after a series of rehearsals held in the drummer’s basement. Rimmshot managed to build a decent name in the Underground Hardcore scene, mainly by doing some live shows in Holland. Their live activity drew the attention of The Noizz & Gangstyle Records who offered them a record deal. After a demo release, the band recorded the debut CD entitled Denial Of Truth that saw the light of the day in 1997. In the year 2000, the band had to go silent due to lead guitarist Ramon, who had to work abroad, being out of pocket.

After the 2-year intermission, the band tried to restore the name of Rimmshot by self-financing and releasing another album, The Darkness In Me, in 2003. In this album, Rimmshot have added more Metal elements than before … slightly changing their musical direction away from the Hardcore path. Based on the fact that it became very difficult to get gigs with other Metal acts, Rimmshot’s co-founder, Ramon, decided that it was time to move on by changing their name to Deathfall.

Under the new moniker, the five-piece band delivers the first Deathfall album with the metaphorical title Reborn through the Greek label Burning Star Records.

The name change didn’t erase the Hardcore elements that can be found in almost every track. The dynamic opener “Kings Of Pain” kicks in with a mighty Death growl followed by fast ton-heavy guitars and a groovy rhythm. The headbanging mid-tempo track “The Dark Age” follows the The Haunted pattern with angry vocals, solid drumming, some really good guitar leads, and Slayer-ish solos. “Why? (The Massacre Of Innocence)” features some drum blast-beats among the low-tuned guitar riffs, while “Break The Machine” bears the old Hardcore atmosphere with loud screaming vocals. “Concrete Jungle” and “Bloodstained Ground” come to surprise the listener with a mid-tempo Doomy pace that greatly enhances the overall heaviness, reminding of the work of Entombed. There are some in-your-face, almost Grindcore tracks, like “The Storm” or the bloody “Hannibal” where there is a small excerpt from the Silence Of The Lambs movie. The album closes with the best track, “Reborn,” that bears a solid rhythm section with steady drum work and an enjoyable bass guitar sound that takes the heaviness to another level.

Deathfall has definitely matured their sound through the rough Hardcore days and have put together a fine album that comprises music influences from bands like Obituary, Entombed, and Six Feet Under. The best thing in Reborn is that the aforementioned influences have been merged under the Deathfall perspective to form an almost personal sound.