I have no idea where some labels get all their bands from. Great Dane are one example where I always wonder where the hell the found their latest addition to the roster. Stormgrey are one of their newest discoveries. Hailing from Lithuania these five gentlemen play a very traditional style of death metal, and they do so in an absolutely competent way. Looking at the line-up I was surprised to see two of the members have links to Dissection, but a closer look reveals that we are not talking about the big boys from Sweden but another death metal outfit from Lithuania. So no starting bonus for being prominent in any way. “DNA of Chaos” is their second full length so neither are they complete newbies. To be fair Stormgrey do not need any kind of additional help as their music pretty much stands for itself. This is chunky and groovy old school death metal without any kind of big surprises of flashy effects. What Stormgrey have done is to take the formula defined by the old guard (Bolt Thrower, Aspyhx, Grave etc.) and reconstruct the best elements to a T. So in case you are looking for something progressive or innovative you can save your time and look elsewhere. Nothing new to be found here. On the other hand if you cannot get enough of that kind of music you came to the right place as you probably won’t find a much better album this year in that sub-genre. Though clearly sitting most comfortably in the mid-paced area, Stromgrey have enough changes and dynamics to not completely feel like some cheap worship band, though wearing their influences on their sleeves with pride. There are some doomy sections as well as a few blasts, but all in all the main focus here lies on the unstoppable groove. The riffs are forged with precision and hit hard and direct, while the drum work is pulverizing and when laid beneath such a solid arsenal of riffs with fantastic growling the whole music has the dynamic of a tank. The soloing is used minimally but when it does appear, we are treated to some blistering lead melodies spicing things up a bit. Whether blasting at full pace, slowing down to a doomy crawl or pounding away in the middle area, Stormgrey are consistently delivering a stream of unending high quality death metal that should be enough fun for each fan of the classics. Perhaps not the most innovative approach, but Stromgrey do what they set out to do in the highest quality and with still enough of their own character to justify their existence. The production is mighty and stomping, highlighting the crushing nature of the music even more. There is not much room for improvement in that area. All in all “DNA of Chaos” hits the nail right on the head. If there is any critics I could make is that I would like to see one big hit on their third album, but other than that this one is a safe bet and should be checked out by any fan of the style. https://greatdanerecords.bandcamp.com/album/dna-of-chaos