Warbeast MMVIII
Stronghold ()
Wydane przez Shiver RecordsRok wydania Kraj BelgiumNapisał Wouter5
For being only around since 2008 this death metal act certainly has a lengthy history regarding its chosen moniker. Originally formed under the banner of Warbeast they opted a name change due to the much higher profile American thrash metal act Warbeast (on Phil Anselmo’s Housecore Records) and settled for Warbeast MMVIII. More recently the band changed their moniker to Warbeast Remains, in between all that legal hassle this album was released. Like Finland’s Axegressor and their output “Stronghold” is a fun but unassuming death/thrash crossover record that has its fingers in both genres – but never really excels at any of those two. Most of the music here is simple and straightforward, missing intent, malevolence and purpose. The playing is solid, but the biggest downfall for this act is that it all just doesn’t sound very threatening. A close comparison could be a sped-up Six Feet Under. The song structures are as stripped down and as basic as they come, being little more developed than that of a demo band. Death/thrash metal is the ideal genre to built explosive songs in with neckbreaking rhythm sections, visceral high-speed intensity and bowel-rendering grooves. The occasional lead/solo or bass break offers up a bright spot in an otherwise dreary release. These cuts chug and groove adequately, but there isn’t a lot of appeal for the international market. Besides some Slayer-esque melodies there isn’t a lot remarkable about either “Stronghold” or this band in particular. The music possesses enough immediacy and the simple song structures allow for great interaction in the live arena, but when taken under intense scrunity there isn’t a lot of meat to these bones. For a thrash record it possesses too little adrenaline-fueled excitement, cutthroat aggression and tangible tenacity, for a death metal record it misses intensity and that brooding dark atmosphere associated with the genre. Vader, Exhumed and Vomitory have been combining death – and thrash metal for nearly two decades, a workable template is known. For all the style, swagger and schwung Warbeast MMVXIII displays, there isn’t a lot of substance once the smoke clears. This will forward the band regionally, but it remains uncertain whether the rest of Europe will pick up on it. The jury is not out yet. Only time will tell...
www.metalzone.be
