My first impression of this CD, long before it ever got near a player, was how professionally put together it appeared; quality artwork and first class printing made it all the more surprising as there is no label support, and this is self released. Even reading the lyrics made it seem like I was in for a thrash treat, the themes of the horror and futility of war being a staple of the metal scene since Black Sabbath first thundered out War Pigs.
All four tracks, “In Return We Kill”, “No Man’s Land”, “Path to War”, and “The Infernal End” blast along at breakneck speed, fast twin guitar riffs accompanied by a rapid fire bass drum, tempered by well placed time changes, and at one point, a gentle, yet energy charged acoustic break in track 3. Interspersed are confident guitar solos from Chris O’Toole that hark back to some of the Bay Area work of the 90’s.
Vocalist Ben Friston growls and screams his way throughout, his vocal delivery bordering almost on the Death Metal scream favoured by so many bands now. This style suits the short format of an EP, but I imagine would be agonizing for a long live set.
Musically, I found much to enjoy and recommend, and I hope the line up change from the recording to the current incarnation of the band manages to continue to build on this first release. A quick look at their website listed a good few upcoming shows; I’ll be trying to get to at least one.
http://www.myspace.com/divinechaosband
