Das Oath Das Oath (2004) Dim Mak

Transcontinental punk band Das Oath's first real album went unfairly overlooked last year, dismissed as "another thrash album." True, it is thrash at heart, but it also throws in an uncommon knack for rock'n'roll licks and art-noise that sets it apart from the rest without being too obtrusive.

Fans of Charles Bronson probably already know that this is Mark McCoy's newest project, and I think his vocals are only getting better. He works his singing into the music in a way that truly flows (as much as this sort of stuff can). Lyrically, he tackles the same ground in a much more refined fashion, offering advice to "sever the nerves at the root / before feeling returns / to betray" in regards to the underground rock scene.

Musically, Das Oath are unmatched in terms of brutality and overall musical abrasiveness. Taking obvious note of the "old school of thrash" á la SSD, Void and Deep Wound, expect the ultra-distorted, massive-sounding guitar assault to frequently give way to sludgy noise dirges that will leave the unsuspecting listener befuddled.

Could this be the album that unites pretentious art creeps with skate-scraped thrashers?

(Will)