Wartorn "Promo 2004" CD
[self-released]
Not bad. The band was handing out these free demos at a show recently, which is something I haven't seen any band do in years (good work), and despite being rough around the edges, this is a promising offering of material. It's straight up brutal death metal with a good mix of moderate speed and chunky rhythms that don't get too groovy. On this recording the drums are programmed, which definitely takes away from the heaviness of things, but the programming is well handled and fits the songs nicely. None of the songs hit four minutes, so they keep it short but sweet and move right along. I like the fact that there's a lot of feeling to the playing, so the riffs are pretty memorable and almost catchy in a certain sense. The vocals are basically guttural growls with a few faint higher screams in the background at times. It's also worth mentioning that the vocal patterns are pretty diverse and don't stagnate, and thankfully they've mixed the vocals perfectly against the guitars. The production sounds like a demo, but a decent demo. I've heard worse from far more "big name" bands in this genre. I can't really hear the bass, and the drum machines thin things out a little, but overall I like the sound for what it is. The CD-R comes in a slim jewel case with a quick xeroxed cover that has a pretty typical death metal logo and artwork on it with the tracklist and whatnot on the back. Nothing big, but it was a free promo handed out at a show, so fuck it, right? The crude packaging isn't what I would call a proper representation of the quality of the music, but that's life, I guess. I really look forward to hearing more from this band, especially with a live drummer. There's a lot of potential here, and I think they could really do something with that if given the right opportunity. (6/10)
Running time - 9:28, Tracks: 3
[Notable tracks: Condemned to Life]
Wartorn - http://www.wartorn-rva.com

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