Ol’ Qwerty Bastard

Asphyx (why do I laugh every time I type their name?) is a Dutch death metal band that were formed back in 1987. The band has since went through many line-up changes, and have had five different vocalists since their formation. On Last One on Earth it's Martin van Drunen providing the vocals, who also fronted fellow Dutch death metal group Pestilence in the late 80's.

With only 8 tracks in the listing, the album starts out without any real build-up or lead in, as the first cut M.S. Bismarck is an immediate look into just how brutal the album is going to be. A track that features some doom influence as well as some thrash elements, it's the work done by guitarist Eric Daniels that really draws my attention from the get go. One of my biggest turn offs in Death Metal is typically the vocals, which I find can be a bit too over the top for my taste, and can take away from the rest of the sound. Although through the first song, I have no problem whatsoever with Drunen's vocals.

The second track, The Krusher starts off (somewhat ironicly) with some slow paced crushing guitar playing which much like the first track, shows off the band's usage of Doom metal elements. As far as lyrics go, I can hardly comprehend anything Drunen has said thus far, although I do believe I picked out the word supremacy at one point? Upon further research, it appears as if the song is discussing the destruction of Earth, which is of course, very metal.

Up next is Serenade in Lead, a fast paced track that sounds a lot more like what I expected from the band. The drum work stands out to me on this song, and the last 40 seconds or so feature some very hectic and chaotic playing which I really enjoy.

With the title track Last One On Earth the band is once again going back to a doom-ier sound, one that I can really get behind. To this point, the vocals still have yet to turn me off from the band, and in fact, have actually started to grow on me.

The fifth track The Incarnation Of Lust is much like what we've heard prior, but the following cut Streams Of Ancient Wisdom stands out a bit more partially due to a short but solid guitar solo, and some switching of pace as the song progresses. At this point, there's not much more I can say about the album except that I'm blown away by the work of this band. Food For The Ignorant is a thrashy, head banging track that slows down about half way through before returning to yet another frenzied bit of instrumentation. The album closes with Asphyx (Forgotten War), a track that discusses what I interpret as the narrative of Earth's final war perhaps?

Going into this album, I was not expecting anything that was this enjoyable. It was a brutal experience, while still remaining very listenable. At times melodic, and at times hectic and chaotic, I'm thoroughly pleased with Last One on Earth. I don't have much in comparison, and it's hard for me to issue too much praise because of my lack of knowledge in the genre, but I do know I'd love to hear more albums like this. Thanks for the rec Batlord!

Rating: 8/10