Warlord UK - We Die As One
I've been a fan of Warlord UK's first album Maximum Carnage for what feels like eons. It's a riproaring mix of death metal and thrash that still has a razor edge to it 17 years after it's release - and although I somehow missed out on 2009's Evil Within, Warlord UK are still amongst my favourite metal bands in... well, the UK. I've had the great pleasure of sharing the stage with them a fair few times now, so I'm ecstatic that I now have the chance to review their latest release.
Anybody who has heard Maximum Carnage (and I'm assuming Evil Within as well) will be right at home here. Warlord UK haven't really evolved or adapted their sound to any modicum of significance and if I'm honest, they don't really need to - it's like a universally appealling sound because everything is there in the right quantities. There's death, thrash, groove and very heavy but subtle undertones of punk in there from start to finish and it makes We Die As One a very satisfying album to listen to. I suppose more than anything it has more in common with early ninties death metal in terms of overall sound, sometimes sounding reminiscent of Benediction, Obituary and Torture Killer especially where tone and production is concerned, but I wouldn't say it's a bad thing - enjoyable music is enjoyable music. It's another album that's on that level of decency that makes it difficult (and somewhat boring) to write about... it's just a consistently good album that ticks all the boxes and does it's job. This said, the album does start to drone somewhat during longer sections which leads to monotony rearing it's stupid face once in a while, but thankfully it doesn't do a great deal to detract from the record as a whole.It's as brutal and pummelling as they come.
Another disappointingly short review for an album that's deserving of a more in-depth analysis, but I really can't think of much else to say without doing a tedious track-by-track breakdown. And to put it bluntly, fuck track-by-track reviews. We Die As One is a brilliant album for death and thrash fans old and new alike - it doesn't break boundaries and it doesn't try to flex any nonexistent muscle by attempting to experiment with anything out of it's comfort zone. Yes, there's a small degree of monotony which slightly spoils it in a few places (the seven minute 'Masses Gather In Masses' is the guilty one here) but even offending tracks are still bloody excellent so it's nothing to turn your nose up at. You'd be mad to pass up Warlord UK's latest offering, it only serves as another example as to why they're one of Britain's best bands. If you like heavy metal, you should like this. Simple.
Anybody who has heard Maximum Carnage (and I'm assuming Evil Within as well) will be right at home here. Warlord UK haven't really evolved or adapted their sound to any modicum of significance and if I'm honest, they don't really need to - it's like a universally appealling sound because everything is there in the right quantities. There's death, thrash, groove and very heavy but subtle undertones of punk in there from start to finish and it makes We Die As One a very satisfying album to listen to. I suppose more than anything it has more in common with early ninties death metal in terms of overall sound, sometimes sounding reminiscent of Benediction, Obituary and Torture Killer especially where tone and production is concerned, but I wouldn't say it's a bad thing - enjoyable music is enjoyable music. It's another album that's on that level of decency that makes it difficult (and somewhat boring) to write about... it's just a consistently good album that ticks all the boxes and does it's job. This said, the album does start to drone somewhat during longer sections which leads to monotony rearing it's stupid face once in a while, but thankfully it doesn't do a great deal to detract from the record as a whole.It's as brutal and pummelling as they come.
Another disappointingly short review for an album that's deserving of a more in-depth analysis, but I really can't think of much else to say without doing a tedious track-by-track breakdown. And to put it bluntly, fuck track-by-track reviews. We Die As One is a brilliant album for death and thrash fans old and new alike - it doesn't break boundaries and it doesn't try to flex any nonexistent muscle by attempting to experiment with anything out of it's comfort zone. Yes, there's a small degree of monotony which slightly spoils it in a few places (the seven minute 'Masses Gather In Masses' is the guilty one here) but even offending tracks are still bloody excellent so it's nothing to turn your nose up at. You'd be mad to pass up Warlord UK's latest offering, it only serves as another example as to why they're one of Britain's best bands. If you like heavy metal, you should like this. Simple.
1. When Worlds Collide
2. Human Inner Core
3. Masses Gather In Masses
4. Insurgents Breed
5. Strength Defeats Decay
6. Last Of Our Legacy
7. Age Of Extreme
8. Knights Of The Godless
9. We Die As One
10. Remember Them
2. Human Inner Core
3. Masses Gather In Masses
4. Insurgents Breed
5. Strength Defeats Decay
6. Last Of Our Legacy
7. Age Of Extreme
8. Knights Of The Godless
9. We Die As One
10. Remember Them
