Under normal circumstances I wouldn't review this since it's just an advance CD-R with no artwork or anything, not an official release, but they're a local band and I actually find them to be incredibly promising, so I'm hoping that maybe someone of interest might read this and throw some attention their way as a result.? Contained herein is what will at some point make up the band's debut full-length: Nine songs in a very tactfully compact ?27 minutes.? Their style?? Ripping death metal of all forms.? As songwriters, this is definitely one of the best death metal bands I've come across in recent years.? They combine all sorts of influences from the classic Florida style of the early-90's to a more contemporary flare that has light dashes of technicality or dissonance and a frantic edge.? Also in place is a moderate dose of basic groove in the form of some barely hardcore-ish breakdowns that are actually fucking awesome - always powerful, they never go too far, which is great.? Important to note is that these guys definitely have an understanding of how brutal death metal should be: They build on the foundations of the genre going as far back as to keep some late-80's thrash influences intact, but they're not simply rehashing the revered days of old either.? There are plenty of tempo changes and rhythms that transition easily from fiery tremolo runs to chunky alternate picking or thickly dissonant midpaced chord progressions, to mention but a few, while the vocals are based around low growls but frequently shift gears to an upper midrange sneer (with plenty of layering ala Glen Benton, but with more control and consideration for the surrounding elements).? The vocal performance is actually really fucking nice - the timing of the vocal patterns is tight and the arrangements aren't always the same in every song.? The fact that the songs are so short (averaging three minutes each, the longest right at four minutes even) means business in and of itself, but the energy level achieved in tracks like "Acts of Treason" and "Architect of My Own Misery" especially, among others, has an excellent dash of crossover thrash gone grindcore, and that's the kind of borderline catchiness that's all too neglected in this genre these days.? I'd also love to hear more of the faint discordance present for brief spurts in the title track, but they're definitely getting there. Recording-wise it sounds very good for a self-financed affair.? It does have a little bit of a self-released kind of vibe to its character, that is to say that a certain ruggedness exists at the fringes, but it sounds heavy and clear, so that's what's important.? To my knowledge this copy hasn't been mastered or anything, but ignoring that if I could have my way I'd like to hear the guitars get a little louder.? It might require easing back on some low-end somewhere to keep things from getting muddy, but I feel like the guitars need a hint more dominating force to really drive the material.? You can hear the bass just enough, and the drums are pretty efficient all things considered.? The vocals sound great and I'd basically leave ?em as is.? In the future it might be a good idea to give the basslines a little more definition, that way the bass can be a little more prominent in the mix without clouding anything up with added low-end padding.? Who knows, though?? It's possible that a solid mastering job could brighten some of the highs and pull things together very well.? I have no idea what the band's plans are as far as releasing this material, but I'd sincerely love to see them get the right opportunity with this stuff, because this record's already a vast improvement over their demo, and if this is their debut I can only imagine how awesome they could sound in a couple of years with even a modest recording budget from a half decent label.? So if you're associated with a label that deals with death metal and you're curious, send these guys an email and see what's up.? I'm looking forward to seeing this fucker get pressed up and made official.? Keep an eye out...
[self-released]
Running time - 26:27, Tracks: 9
[Notable tracks: Acts of Treason, Architect of My Own Misery, Scars of No Hope]
Wartorn - http://www.wartorn-rva.com
