Release Date: August 28th, 2026
Thrash / Modern Metal
Independent (Distributed via DiGiDi)
TRACKLIST:
01 – IntroDiiRTion
02 - A Fader For War (First single & music video – July 31st)
03 - Keep the Failed
04 - When Lightning Strike
05 - King of your Kingdom
06 – Horrified
07 - Nothing Can Stay
08 - No Stranger to Hell
09 - Sacred Assailant
10 - Mouth of a Beast
11 - Till the End
There is too much AI-generated content on the internet right now. It’s disgusting.
It started with everyone changing their social media profile photo to an idealized version of themselves. Then it morphed into EVERY SINGLE BAND using an AI-generated flyer to promote their gigs. All these flyers look alike.
Then there’s the rise of AI music generators like Suno.
I’ll admit it: I played around with them. I wrote lyrics and had the generator create “songs” that were glitchy, sounded completely inhuman, mispronounced the lyrics, and contained musical tones that no human could replicate. It wasn’t satisfying, and I regret dabbling in it.
Have we, as a society, become so lazy? Are we so conditioned to having everything readily available that no one values taking the time to create , or to value the actual creation process?
That is why I was so happy when I heard about this album.
DiiRT is the artist name of René Loua, guitarist for legendary Danish thrash band Artillery. This is his debut solo release, Flows, and it is solo in the purest sense of the word.
According to the press release, “Every single riff, bassline, drum arrangement, and vocal track was written, performed, and recorded solely by René Loua in his own studio.”
100% manual labor. No AI. No shortcuts.
Just like the good old days — you know — four years ago.
Sometimes when I get an album to review, I put it on in the background while I’m doing some mundane household task. But there was something about the lyrics on DiiRT’s Flows that made me want to pull up the PDF file in the press kit and actually sit down and read along with the songs.
The lyrics are just as intense as the music.
And it isn’t “War! Battle! Let’s fight! Die by the sword! I love fighting!”
Bro — René Loua took his time crafting these lyrics.
Take “When Lightning Strike”:
And raise our fist ’cause we’re alive
For crying out loud
WE ARE
WE ARE ALIVE
Every cell in my veins
Warmth and strength in my blood
My body, all my flesh and bones
All have one apparent reason to prevail”»
The majority of the lyrics are uplifting, dealing with overcoming obstacles, staying strong, and staying positive.
In “Horrified”:
«“In the end it was never promised to us all
That our days would only bring a bliss
Taking leaps I thought I’d never dare
Getting even stronger knowing life makes me a little scared”»
There are moments of darkness, uncertainty, and fear, but they ultimately feed into the album’s larger theme: perseverance.
The album’s centerpiece is the epic, 8 ½ minutes “King of Your Kingdom.” It starts slowly, then builds into a gorgeous double-tracked guitar solo. It’s a perfect example of what René does throughout Flows: he gives the songs room to develop while continually introducing new ideas.
Of course, the guitars are the star of this album.
René seamlessly inserts as many riffs as possible into each song, which reminds me of another Danish band from back in the day… and somehow, it works. It doesn’t feel like he’s complicating the songs at all. Like the title of the album suggests, it flows.
The riffs feel like natural progressions within the songs rather than technical exercises inserted simply to show off what the guitarist can do.
“No Stranger to Hell” sounds like it could have appeared on Black Album-era Metallica, but with better drums and an uplifting bridge and fist-pumping chorus.
“Sacred Assailant” sounds like it could have been on the last Artillery album. It’s straightforward thrash, and René doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel. He simply knows how to drive it and step on the gas pedal.
The final track, “Til the End,” reminds me of a cross between Iron Maiden’s “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" and post-”Rust in Peace” Megadeth. A monumental guitar solo brings the album to a colossal close.
And perhaps that’s what makes Flows so satisfying.
In an era when technology can generate an entire song in seconds, René made an entire album the hard way: by actually playing it.
He wrote the riffs. He played the guitars. He played the bass. He arranged the drums. He sang the vocals. He recorded it himself
René brought in Danish producer and musician Nicklas Sonne of Sonne Studios for the final drum EQ and mastering, giving the album a big, powerful sound without sanding off its rough edges.
You can hear the human being behind the music.
And honestly?
That’s refreshing as hell.
-Rys
Youtube video for “A Fader for War” DiiRT
Official Socials:
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rene.loua
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcGGkip00VVNPjLNgXhfvDw
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rene1980re?utm_source=qr
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