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Deathroll is a solo Black Metal project from Japanese musician, Kazuya Niitsuma. This isn’t the first time I’ve reviewed the Iwaki native previous and you can check that out here. Today, though, I will be reviewing his album ‘Immorality’ which was released on August 6th 2022. 

‘Don’t Understand The Principle Of The Thing’ kicks off with a frenzied, high energy drum solo that is just absolutely breathtaking in its intensity, and it flows well into equally powerful and raw guitars, and overlaid on top are some deep and dark vocals which when all combined together make for a truly amazing opening performance. I really do have to go back to the drums though, sometimes overlooked in track, even though many songs could definitely do with some percussion for audio texture, but this is absolutely masterful and relentless. 

‘Collapse Ethics’ is more guitar and bass focused upfront, strings battling and harmonising with one another, and the drums adding in that extra spice. Slightly less high energy than the previous track but still absolutely sensational, you just get absolutely caught up in the darkness and depth of the performance. I especially liked how this one played around with momentum, fast and slow, up and down, to create a really appealing counterpoint to the overall track. Also the guitars towards the end of the track were intensive and fantastic. I got chills just listening to the whole performance. 

‘Melting Happiness’ picks up the energy again, fast and dazzling guitarwork, against a wall of percussion and bass. Honestly this has the perfect combination of what I’ve loved about the past few tracks, and I really like Deathroll’s vocal delivery, it’s intimidating and bold and works really well within the context of the song and the vibe of the performer as a whole. 

‘Hell On Earth’ is another drum heavy opening, but this one goes all in on cymbals and it creates a really vital crashing melody to build on, and Deathroll charges forward with thrashing guitars and more solid vocal work to create something genuinely powerful and engaging. I really liked the slower guitar work towards the end, the wind down, before the big crashing build up. 

‘Desolate’ kicks off hard, a cacophony of strings in beautiful harmony, and the vocals introduce themselves a little earlier than the past couple of tracks, and again I really like Deathroll’s voice, it’s perfect for the death metal aesthetic and he uses it sparingly so that each time it adds the right level of spice to the overall performance. 

‘obscenity Named Brainwashing’ drums crashing and then guitars just going nuts, another track that combines my favourite elements of the previous tracks into something unique and intense. It’s really hard to pick because there hasn’t been a weak track on this whole album, but I think this might be my personal favourite track on ‘Immortality’. Honestly though, the sheer power and range in his instrumentalism makes for a sensational album so far. 

‘journey To The Underworld’ just goes wild, everything work together in concert to create a high tempo, high energy, momentous beat that absolutely courses right through your body and keeps your attention to the last possible moment. 

‘healing Called The Death’ finishes out the album on a high note, with Deathroll’s vocals opening us up, and being far more present than in the past few tracks, balanced well with the intense frenzy of the melody. And with this last track I can firmly say that ‘Immortality’ is an album to check out for sure. 

So that’s what I thought of Deathroll’s album ‘Immorality’ and if you want to check that out for yourself then head on over to Spotify. While you’re at it, make sure and check out their website and don’t forget to support the band by following them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.