Destrage - Are You Kidding Me? No.

There are more chops on display here than a butcher's window. Shredheads rejoice! Destrage is here to kick ass.You may remember a band I reviewed by the name of Freak Kitchen and their amazing brand of metal. Well, imagine them being heavier yet more melodic. This is what you're in for with the amazing Italian quintet Destrage. Having begun in 2005, they've been building their reputation amazing and delighting audiences all over Europe with music that's not only technically impressive but just plain fun to listen to. And that's exactly what they deliver with their third studio album, Are You Kidding Me? No.

The bedrock of Destrage's sound is essentially metalcore with elements of melodeath, but there's a frenetic energy that fails to come across when merely using labels to describe music of this kind. Now, don't be misled; there are some downright insane passages that get a little atonal or dissonant. But the vast majority of the album is a collection of such manic - but, more importantly, listenable - bombast you may find it hard to put down.

To look at posed pictures of these guys and just hear bits and pieces here and there from their album you may get the feeling that these dudes are perhaps not to be taken too seriously. But you would be wrong. There's a sincerity here that comes through in the music that can only be the result of a hard-working band playing together as a focused unit, even if they have a sense of humor about themselves. Personally, I love this stuff!

The Bottom Line: If you're a fan of metalcore or melodeath, but long for the unpredictable fretboard insanity of players like Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (who puts in a guest appearance on the title track) or Matthias Eklundh to be thrown into the mix, you need to check out Destrage. These guys simply aren't fucking around.

- Genghis really needs to get back to some regular guitar practice...