Purification "Banging the Drums of War" CD
[Uprising]
Vegan straightedge metalcore from this longstanding Italian band. I'm not sure if I've ever heard this band before or not, I want to say that I have, but I can't remember... Either way this is pretty standard European metalcore that's heavy on the metal but retains plenty of chugging rhythms and keeps things rooted in the 90's style of metalcore without bringing in any lame modern death metal influences. There are a few quick bursts of tremolo picking, but for the most it's nothing but moderately paced rhythms with some slower breakdowns and note-based metal riffing, occasionally hitting on some dissonance, alongside consistent vocal yells - rarely letting up for some spoken passages or what have you. "Afraid of This World" features some guest vocals by Karl Buechner from Earth Crisis/Freya (as well as a painfully uncalled for orchestral introduction that was undoubtedly sampled from a movie), and "Lament for a Fallen Soldier" features some guest vocals by Sean Muttaqi from Vegan Reich, and that sort of hints at the roots that this band has grown from. On a few minor occasions the performance can slide off time a little, but I think that's due in large part to a couple of minimal issues with the recording more than anything else, because they're tight for the most part. The production gets the job done, but it could stand for some improvement. The drums are a little rigid, but not enough to bother me. I'm more bothered by the lack of bass guitar in the mix and the separation between the elements. The guitar tone is really textured, but the bass needs to fill in the gaps between the drums and guitars. The vocals are strong, they fit in with the guitars right about where they should. It sounds decent overall, I can handle it. Visually the layout's alright, everything is bright and totally crisp/clean, and the imagery fits the theme of the record. The photo of the band standing around amidst bright pink flowers is cheesy as fuck, though... and one of the guy's is actually sniffing a flower. Come on, is this a hardcore record or an issue of Better Homes and Gardens? As expected the lyrics are diehard vegan diatribes that take things to the most extreme degree: "Members of a species that has collectively waged relentless war against defenseless creatures and all of the natural world, The human destruction of its own kind and of the myriad forms of life with whom we cohabit the Earth must be halted, Fight fire with fire, that's what me must do, To put an end to the slaughter of the innocent..." Good stuff. I'm glad that this style of metalcore is still alive and well in Europe, it's cool to see more of it coming back to the surface. This record's not the most diverse or memorable effort out there (though the acoustic guitars and melodies in "Ordinary Life in an Occupied Land" are definitely a plus), but it keeps things short and to the point, so I'm into it. (7/10)
Running time - 29:23, Tracks: 8
[Notable tracks: Living in an Age of Mass Extinction, Warpaint, Ordinary Life in an Occupied Land]
Uprising Records - http://www.uprisingrecords.com

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