I have been a fan of Germany’s Deserted Fear and their brand of European-inspired melodic death metal since their great 2012 debut album – My Empire.  Their killer second album in 2014, Kingdom of Worms, is still my favorite by them.  Veins of Fire is their sixth album, and their last three albums have all been pretty good to great. The band used to be with major Century Media Records, now shifting to the smaller but no less great Testimony Records.  The emphasis on melody is shifted to the forefront on this album.

“Into the Burning Lands” opens with nice guitar harmonies and a hopeful feel.  Like, I could see a crowd bouncing up and down to this song. Members Simon Mengs (Drums), Fabian Hildebrandt (Guitars), and Manuel Glatter (Vocals, Guitars) have all been together for a while, and they gel. At a little prior to the three-minute mark, with the nice heavy chug groove.  The song then shifts to more of that melodic tone and honestly, super, duper vanilla here, folks.

“Storm of Resistance”, with the battle charged lyrics, has cool vocals and you know I am hearing a lot of Gorefest influence, but not the sicko grinding death metal Gorefest, that is the best, but rather the Erase – Chapter 13 era.  This song is a melodic death and roll romp, and at times Manuel gets into some lower register growls, but it’s not until song #5, “Embrace the Void” that there is really any type of fast part.  The opening is a gallop, old school in nature, and I wanted this moment to keep continuing, yet the song shifts to more of that slower melodic style.  The guitar work is well done, and I appreciate the musicianship on this.  There is a lot of emotion played in this song.  It does have some depressive melodies.  This is a really good song – the best one here.

“At the End of Our Reign” has more of that hopping up and down vibe.  With the isolated vocal moments, then right into the chugging groove, this moment has a big feel to it.  Like I could see these moments, in a live setting, being highlighted with white lights coming on to accentuate these moments as the crowd is headbanging in unison.  Very cool guitar harmonies all over this song. The album ends with the title track.  Again, very melodic, guitar harmonies all over the place, and more of the mid-paced groove.  The song is one of the better ones on this album and a few moments of downbeat heavy chu,g, and when Manuel goes deeper in his vocal range, those are the moments I tend to like the best.

Veins of Fire is a fair-to-middling Deserted Fear album.  The band is shifting towards more of a melodic flair of death metal, which, while some may appreciate, the songs on this are just vanilla.  There is no really great song on this.  There is very little resembling the Deserted Fear, which I originally enjoyed.  I think the band can do better, but when bands usually shift to certain styles later on in their album discography, that is usually the continuing trajectory of their sound.  A let-down album in my opinion.

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