UMUR
"The Feast Begins At Dawn" is the debut full-length studio album by Dutch death/thrash metal act Dead Head. The album was recorded from March to July 1991 and released through Bad Taste Recordings in October 1991. Dead Head were formed in 1989 with the intention of writing and playing the most intense, aggressive, and brutal thrash metal around. Dead Head were quite productive in their formative years releasing the "From Belial" demo in 1989 and "The Festering" demo in 1990.
Stylistically the material on "The Feast Begins At Dawn" fully live up to the original intention of the band, as the listener is exposed to furiously fast-paced, aggressive, and intense thrash metal. Contemporary artists like Invocator, Merciless, Assorted Heap, Sadus, and Believer are valid references, as well as (at the time) more established artists like Kreator, Slayer, and Dark Angel. So this is technically well played thrash metal with a brutal edge. Fast thrashy riffs and rhythms, screaming chromatic guitar solos, and a rabid dog snarling lead vocalist in front. While most of the album fly by in breakneck speed mode, Dead Head aren´t a one-trick pony, and they understand the importance of dynamics, and therefore incorporate heavier parts too.
4 of the 12 tracks on the 49:42 minutes long album are re-recorded tracks from "The Festering (1990)" demo, while the remaining tracks are original to "The Feast Begins At Dawn". They were all written within a relatively short time span, so it´s not something the listener will notice and the album is generally consistent in both quality and style. "The Feast Begins At Dawn" features a raw and brutal sounding production, which suits the material well. It´s not perfect by any means, as it does sound a bit disjointed at times (especially the drums sound like they don´t fit with the guitars), but it´s not a major issue, and as mentioned the sound generally works well with the material. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.