Another solid band coming out of Portland, this time featuring members of the almighty Tragedy, but rather than a dark and heavy style of hardcore/punk this is far more straightforward and Discharge-esque in overall feel. Expect simple songs based around rather typical driving chord progressions with aggressively yelled vocals and a little bit of a Mot?rhead styled rock thing happening as well. No track hits three minutes, most of the songs are a basic verse/chorus framework with a tolerable amount of repetition, and aside from occasional shifts in tempo or quick little solos things tend to sound pretty similar through and through. "Raining Hell" is barely heavier in picking attack and really thunders along nicely; "Senseless" is a little more rocked out both in general tempo and its use of numerous quick lead breaks and note bends to bring in a some dissonant melody; the basslines get more active in "No Tomorrow" and its no bullshit delivery makes it more memorable; "Paralyzed" somehow comes across as one of the more sinister cuts, and like "No Tomorrow" is among the most memorable songs; etc. The recording works fine in my book. It's a little thin and dry, but that makes sense. The drums are a touch distant, there's not a great deal of bass in there, the guitars are chock full of rugged midrange, and the vocals sound awesome with a good level of hoarse texture. All I'd like to hear is more of a pulsing bass presence at the core, as then the songs would hit a little harder. It sounds perfectly acceptable, though. The layout keeps it pretty simple with a mix of high contrast graphics and images representative of political shysters and plenty of sloganeering text such as, "Who will rule your life... them or you?" The lyrics appear in worn typewriter text over a flat white background and keep things direct in subject matter. The band explains their own lyrics quite bluntly, so I'll let that speak for itself: "All lyrics inspired by war, the sadistic fuckers who start them, the moronic soldiers who fight in them, the blind patriots who support them, the corporations that fund them, and the brainwashing media that glamorizes them. You might be sick of the same three chords but we're just sick of war." Good stuff. It's nothing special, but it's good for what it is. Is it as good as Tragedy? Fuck no. But this band doesn't have those same goals, so...
[Feral Ward]
Running time - 27:56, Tracks: 15
[Notable tracks: Vicious Cycle, Raining Hell, No Tomorrow, Paralyzed]
Feral Ward - http://www.feralward.com
