The Declaration

I wrote a review for Warmarch's self titled demo, giving much anticipation to the debut full length by these Albertan master-musicians. Certainly, the set up this album and the album lives up to all of the hype.

"The Declaration" features all three songs from the demo as well as 6 brand new songs. One will notice right away the production is a lot clearer, especially considering the demo was done on a four track. Here, we get a clean job with everything being very audible. The only downfall is the bass could be a bit louder, because the bass player in this band is truly astounding.

For those that haven't heard Warmarch before, Warmarch features Rites of Thy Degringolade mastermind Paulus Kressman, and former Disciples of Power drummer. What we get is a fusion between the two bands styles: Some chaotic riffing, some heavy metal drumming, all topped with equally talented bass playing. In other terms, think Motorhead gone chaotic, and with no limits!

The album opens up with "Warmarch", declaring that Warmarch is here. Indeed, this song sets much of the mood and pace to be expected. The next track is from the demo, and is the namesake of the album. It features mainly doom sections, with some rocking parts thrown in for good measure. Warmarch makes good use of dissonance in this song, as notes collide with one another to create an unpleasant and haunting atmosphere for the listener. This is probably the slowest track on the album, the rest go mid to fast paced with excellent riffing that would make any thrash fan smile.

The new songs that weren't featured on the demo are a treat to hear, as they seem a bit more comfortable with the style forged on the demo. Arrangements seem even more natural as the songs flow through with grace. The songs that were on the demo feature some changes, such as more clean vocals in the background, and clean guitar underlying the riffs. This is evident throughout the album and gives a rich sense of dynamics.

Some cons on this album are as already mentioned, the bass playing needs to be turned up, mainly during the sections where the bass player slaps. I actually witnessed the CD release for this album, and the songs sounded MUCH fuller live. However, don't let that fool you into thinking these songs don't sound full at all, as they are quite rich on the album. During the sections where the bass player uses his fingers, it is truly impressive. Anyway, the only other con on this album is the track order surprisingly. Two of the demo tracks are side by side. Paulus himself has pointed out this flaw, but at least it's only minor and doesn't effect the quality of the music or the listening experience.

Pro wise, everything on this album is played with experienced precision. Arrangements are intelligent and appropriate on this album, even through the more chaotic sections. And again, the riffs are absolutely killer, as are the bass lines accompanying each riff.

This album really shows Warmarch is a serious band, and only gives fans more anticipation that they'll stick around. After an album like this, I truly hope to hear more by the band. Buy this, especially if you're into heavy metal or the Western Canadian scene.