To The Dogs -
Light the Fires
USA
Life After
Death
Milwaukee-based To the Dogs is a trio founded in 2020 that has released a demo and a debut album called “Light the Fires” in 2022.
Musically, they play crust-infused death
metal inspired by bands like Celtic Frost, Anti-Cimex and Toxic Holocaust. The
result is a vicious slab of mid-tempo death/crust that hits you right between
the eyes. Their line-up is comprised of Nikki Jeremic (bass, vocals), Ian Olsen
(drums) and Chris Morrow (guitar, vocals), who formerly played in the
black/death band Black September.
Their ability to mete out sharp riffs with
hardcore sensibilities is quite striking, as the band effortlessly combines
influences from both genres, although at its core the music is still death
metal through and through and masterfully executed as such.
Vocalist Nikki –
who hails from Bosnia and Herzegovina – belts out a powerful, hate-filled roar,
which is adequately delivered and backed by a wave of darkened crust riffs,
energetic drum beats and audible bass that adds an extra layer of heaviness to
the mix. Despite the lack of guitar solos, the music functions well enough
without them, as this is pretty much a straight-ahead bluster of old-school death metal without any compromises.
Overall,
“Light the Fires” is an impressive debut album, boasting some serious chops
that will compel you to run out and set the neighbourhood ablaze.