Chapel of the Apocalypse

Judging from their name alone, you can be quite sure who this Texas band is paying tribute to most on their demo. And the sounds of their charnel house, low end grooving death rhythms do in fact ape a lot of what made Bolt Thrower great in the late 80s and 90s. I'm not going to accuse War Master of being some 100% ripoff of Bolt Thrower, because I'm sure this is done all in fun with that very idea in mind, and from time to time on the three songs here you might hear a slight influence from another prototype death metal bands (Death, Cianide, Carnage, etc).

"Chapel of the Apocalypse" is the first foray into the grim battlefield, with some churning and grinding guitar work that occasionally slows for some blood-soaked bombast. When the subtle melody comes in after 1:00, it begins to really sound a lot like something from War Master the album. "Awake in Darkness/Warplague" follows suite, with a groove and pummeling that often transforms into hoarse blasting akin to what the UK band used to create. "Thrones of Tyranny" is probably the best track of the three, really rekindling the lust I had for Realms of Chaos 20 years ago, with a nice, hostile production.

This leads me to the inevitable conclusion, though: War Master just isn't better than Bolt Thrower at being Bolt Thrower, and there is no reason to really listen to this when you have that band's catalog at your disposal. As an inspired tribute, the Texans are clearly aware of what they are doing...but the songs themselves do not excel beyond what you already have in Realm of Chaos, War Master or The IV Crusade. So I can't give it a gleaming recommendation. That said, I like the band's logo and cover art, the demo is pissed off and raw, and I could easily fantasize myself making a band called World-Eater and doing an identical project some day...so...well, your mileage may vary depending on how much more of the same you want to hear.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Even if you're new to underground metal, the name "War Master" conjures up a singular vision: Bolt Thrower. Except now there's a band by that name who, not surprisingly, make music in tribute to the Bolt Thrower. However, they're halfway there to their own identity -- and making great old school music at the same time.

For the one-line review, War Master sound like old Bolt Thrower -- if it was the band who made the first two albums covering songs from "For Victory..." and "The IVth Crusade." Add in a pinch of demo-era Immolation, or other old school death metal like Massacre, and you have the basic influences on this band. Primitive, messy, three-riff songs with a tendency to use vocal patterns and riff types from Bolt Thrower.

Drums lead the band, using patterns from older death metal drumming with emphasis on two-hit style phrases and periodic, intense double bass. Underneath the turgid wall of guitars, bass prowls with less distortion than one might expect, and some variation on the eighth notes supporting each chord. Really what leads each song is the rhythm guitar track, which uses three chord riffs (in one case, one borrowed from early Napalm Death) to break up the percussion in its continuity, and create energy. Rarely do lead guitars intervene, but they are noisy and seemingly offhand like early Bolt Thrower, a fusion between metal chaos and punk's denial of any centralization whatsoever.

The result is quite good. Vocals are strong; guitars lay down the power and bass follows; drumming is practiced but deliberately understated. It's not all old school, because you can hear smudges of influence from newer styles. But for the most part, what you hear is a roaring demonic bassy assault which grinds like a war of attrition, slowly swallowing your individuality in its omnipresent dirge.