Booksology Reviewed: December, 2025Published: 2023, Darkness Shall RiseRating: 3.5/5Reviewer: JP
The nostalgia market for the early days of Death, Thrash and Black Metal is still very strong. The number of newer, specialty, reissue labels is growing at a healthy pace. Labels like Cult Never Dies, Floga and Darkness Shall Rise all produce high -quality reissue campaigns with lots of cool merchandise such as T-shirts cassette libraries, box sets and more.
I’ve notice a few times that Darkness Shall Rise (DSR) has included specialized, band-specific, books as part of some of their more elaborate boxsets. Fortunately, for fans like me the label realized that some customers may not want to buy the entire boxset but are interested in the book. Accordingly, some of these books are produced in a few extra copies and made available for stand alone purchase. Bands with DSR books include Venom, Dissection, Destruction, Mysticum …and the subject of our review, Desaster. Please feel free to read all the reviews in this mini-series.
Like all the books in this series, if we can call it a series, is presented in a high-quality format. This 124 page hard cover is embossed and has a red and black design. The slightly odd-sized book is printed in nice glossy paper.
AS THE DEADWORLD CALLS covers the earliest of the German titans, Desaster. There is no introduction, we just dive into a new (the time) 2023 interview with Infernal and Odin.
There are quite a few reviews of the ‘93 and ’94 demos reproduced from fanzines. There’s are some interviews with other bands about the good old days hanging out Desaster and a stand alone interview with Okkulto. Then even more flyers and ads and testimonials.
The only negative is that the book seems a bit short. The band has been going for decades but AS THE DEADWORLD CALLS really o my ficuses on 1988-1995 and keeping in mind the band was format from 1990-1982! However, that is the point of the book to focus in the Black roots.
I don’t feel that DESASTER for enough credit for being among the second wave of Black Metal for a couple of reasons. One they are from Germany, not Scandinavia and secondly they evolved quite quickly, dropping the corpse-paint and going in a thrashier direction for the next two decades. Lastly, as mentioned in the book the two year break between 1990-1992 took a bit of wind out of their sails after they formed quite early in 1988. They are still going strong and AS DEADWORLD CALLS reminds us all of the bands primal and primitive black roots!
Desaster (GER) – As The Deadworld Calls – Hardcover book
