Winds of Plague has apparently been around for a few years. More like seven. And they've been keeping busy, releasing brutal symphonic death metal that strikes the perfect chord with me. Last year, they released their second full-length effort, 'Decimate the Weak,' and it is quite the massacre.The album opens with a 1:14 long intro, 'A Cold Day in Hell,' and like many of the other albums I review, the opening track is a glimpse of what's to come: melodic keyboard work, fast double bass kicks, explosive bass thumps, and fun guitar riffs. You won't know you have that, though, until the intro seamlessly moves into the second track, 'Anthems of Apocalypse.' Featuring those quick double bass pedals and bad-ass guitar riffs, 'Anthems...' also includes a coupling of John Cooke's screams and deep, guttural growls - and the fist-pumping, "YEAH!"-inducing line "You wanna see us fail? Not today, motherfucker!" 'Anthems...' utilizes their keyboard out the ass in this song, too, but it's never inappropriate. I keep thinking of Children of Bodom for some reason. Also, the breakdown in 'Anthems...' is just flat-out awesome. If you're like me, you'll enjoy the song for the most part. You'll put up with Cooke's almost obnoxious growls in the middle of the track only because you know what preceded it will surely follow it.
The album's title track is what sealed the deal for me, (see previous post). I found WoP on their MySpace and 'Decimate the Weak' was the first song played. Starting off with a kick-ass scream of the song title, the song unfolds like a metal anthem, with group vocals; rapid-fire kicks; deep bass explosions; and more of that ubiquitous keyboard, which adds extra atmosphere to a song that already has an ass-ton going on at once. The track's breakdown continues the pace and, just like the rest of the CD, keeps you rockin.
This is a good CD - plain and simple. Some people aren't fans of the F-words and all that, but that kind of language can be used without taking away from the quality of the music. Bloodsimple is a prime example of this and Winds of Plague doesn't need to make any excuses concerning the language they use. The machine-gun beat of bass keeps the pace of the album flowing fast, the guiatr riffs and breakdowns keep all the songs interesting, and the insanely eerie and mystical atmosphere the keyboards adds to the overall package.
As I said, Winds of Plague's latest effort, their first release on a major label, is not one to be missed.
No comments:
Post a Comment