Review OUTBURST “Devouring the Masses”

Outburst comes from the north of Germany with Flensburg, close to the Danish border, being the home of Outburst. The young metal outfit started in 2019, and after the release of two demos and an EP, the five-piece can now present the debut album.

“Devouring the Masses” is the title of the album, which will be released via Violent Creek Records and contains a ten-song track list. Outburst is into thrash metal in general and the guys have a passion for west coast metal. Especially Exodus is a band the guys have heard more than once. This becomes very obvious with “Written in Blood”, which is the first song after an intro called “To Your Nightmare”.

The early Exodus delivered the blueprint for the five guys from Schleswig-Holstein, which isn’t only because of the powerful thrash metal. It is frontman Philip Andreas, whose voice has obvious similarities with Paul Baloff. The hoarse vocals and the phrasing remind of the legendary Exodus singer and show quite clearly what to expect from this release.

Ruthless riff power and a solid speed are what characterize songs like the ferocious “Assaulter” and that the guys can play even faster is proven by “Greed”. The title track takes the listener on a six-minute journey through the world of metal. After a rather harmonic and easy-going start, the riff kicks in quickly and lifts “Devouring The Masses” to an aggressive thrash metal song with a strong punch. The melodic lead guitar breaks the pattern halfway before the song quickly returns to its basic heaviness.

Some NWoBHM vibes kick off “Next to Die” before the song turns into another Exodus-fueled thrash metal blast. The finale is called “Count Your Blessings” which is a more moderate paced track in the beginning. Tempo changes are what most of the songs contain and it is the same with the closer.

The name Exodus has been mentioned more than once, and for good reason. There are many parallels and/or inspirational moments on “Devouring the Masses”. But what makes this debut a good one is the untamed approach to music the guys from Flensburg bring to the surface and they have enough potential to switch from inspiration to identity when it comes to their sound. Maybe next time a little less Exodus and a little more Outburst.