11. February 2026
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Media Review

Slaughterday – Dread Emperor

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Slaughterday - Dread Emperor

Slaughterday - Dread Emperor
4.2

Rating

 4.2/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Well-structured and well-written songs
  • Good atmosphere

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Some similarities between the tracks

After a lot of floorball on Flyctory.com the last days, it is already time to head back into music reviews. Some rather harder tunes kick off my coverage of 13th February 2026 releases. The German band Slaughterday is sharing their new album Dread Emperor on that day. Here is my review.

 

Slaughterday – About The Artists

Slaughterday is a German death metal band. They have been founded in Leer in 2010. The only official band members are Jens Finger (guitar, bass) and Bernd Reiners (vocals, drums). On stage, they add Tobias Koops (guitars), Tom Hoffmann (drums) and Ulf Imwiehe (bass). Slaughterday released their debut album Nightmare Vortex in 2013. So far, there are four full-length albums and three EPs by the German band.

 

Slaughterday – Dread Emperor – Track by Track

The ten song album lasts 40 minutes

1. Enthroned

Enthroned is a slow start into the world of Dread Emperor. First of all, it is just an instrumental intro. Secondly, the track is just 1:41 minutes long. Too short for a full-size metal track, but the rather slow one creates a nice atmosphere.

2. Obliteration Crusade

Hammering drums, powerful riffs and grunting – that’s how Obliteration Crusade is kicking off. The song alters between rather slower and fast paced parts. This overall leads to a really nice plot which leads to a really nice listen.

3. Rapture Of Rot

Having talked about track length – the third song is the longest one on Dread Emperor. However, with roughly five minutes, it is still a rather mid-sized one (in metal dimensions…). Even though the song is a bit darker than the predecessor, Slaughterday again manages to have a nice leverage of fast and brutal parts and some slower sections. I also like the melodic guitar elements in this song.

4. Astral Carnage

Slaughterday have released three album tracks before its release. One of them is Astral Carnage. The song comes with a good speed and some very nice instrumental parts. It’s a very fluent and powerful song, which is definitely staying in your mind.

5. Subconscious Pandemonium

The fifth track strikes with the guitar theme. It is presented right at the beginning of the song and feels very catching. Even though the song soon heads into darker atmosphere, you have this theme several times during the song. I really like it.

6. Dread Emperor

The title track Dread Emperor was the first song Slaughterday shared with their fans. The song has a majestically marching sound. However, the Germans don’t neglect to have dark and more brutal sections in here. Overall, the song is rather slow, which also somehow creates some groovy moments.

7. The Forsaken Ones

After the title track, Dread Emperor continues with The Forsaken Ones. After a slow start, the loud vocals wake you up and take you into this song. The faster elements of the track work very well, while the slower ones don’t present too many new ideas.

8. Necrocide

The title of this one already creates some additional fear and darkness. The song keeps what the title is suggesting. It is getting hard and brutal in here. But it is definitely a fun track listening to.

9. Dethroned

Dethroned is the last one of the album, which is already known to fans. After the dark atmosphere of Necrocide, this one cannot frighten you any more. Nonetheless, I feel it is a favorite of die-hard death metal listeners.

10. Golem

The album closes with a cover of the Protector track Golem. A familiar sound, which is put into a absolutely relatable new version. The German band is finishing their Dread Emperor with a nice style.

 

Slaughterday – Dread Emperor – Spotify

I will add the Spotify widget once the album has been published.

 

Slaughterday – Dread Emperor – My View

I really enjoyed being taken on the Dread Emperor journey. Slaughterday nicely structures their songs. The tracks are smart compositions, coming with interesting twists. Finally, they don’t just try being loud, brutal and hard, but also play with different moods. Here and there, the songs, however, feel a bit too similar.

Favorite Song: Necrocide

 

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