Dew-Scented are a band who've been around for quite some time and as such they already have a number of albums to their credit overseas. Unfortunately though, North American audiences are likely to have never heard of this German outfit before as this is only their second album to see a proper release on this side of the pond. A vicious metal laden onslaught, "Impact" brings to mind the works of Slayer, At The Gates, God Forbid and more, yet possesses enough maturity and in your face brutality to stand firmly on it's own two feet.

Essentially Dew-Scented could be summed up as a combination of thrash and death metal with a touch of Gothenburg thrown in for good measure, but while their influences may be easily described, their intensity is not. An unrelenting bulldozer of metallic aggression, the bands hunger is conveyed crystal clear through their music as their songs rarely allow the listener a breather. Like a boxing match without rounds, the band fly out of the gate and begin to pummel the listener with controlled flurries of uppercuts and jabs until the proverbial bell is rung and they are declared the victor. And with an arsenal of razor sharp riffing; throaty screaming; and pugilistic double kick driven percussion, it's not hard to see how they gained enough of a reputation to get their records put out overseas.

Much like In Flames, The Haunted and Carnal Forge, Dew-Scented are quite adept at melding a modern sound with the age old thrash playbook. But unlike most of their peers, there is little hint of any commercial appeal contained within their song writing. From start to finish "Impact" is exactly what it's title suggests, except once they hit they just continue to push and push until the albums end, whether the listener is gored on their horns or not. While some audiences may tire of this lack of dynamic shifts, others will be thrilled at just how full on the band are as even their solo's are unraveled at a breakneck pace. In truth the bands approach might not be the most original, but this lack of innovation is made up for in violent aggression and as such, Dew-Scented should fit right in with today's current traditional metal revolution.