Review Summary: ...
Emulating Killswitch Engage and As I Lay Dying can be very risky. First outcome can be a very bland and generic sound like most of the mainstream metalcore scene today. The other, can produce very fun music with quite the epic tendencies. This is where War of Ages stands with their latest offering: “Eternal”.
The best thing about this album is the guitar riffs. They’re nothing new or groundbreaking, but boy are they are as refreshing as lemonade on a summer day. The guitarists of the band use dual guitar harmonies throughout the album, thus making the music melodic and heartfelt. Another good aspect of their work is the fact that throughout “Eternal”, there are very few breakdowns, which keeps the music from sounding too generic.
Vocal-wise, War of Ages has a fairly competent lead vocalist, who experiments this time by incorporating clean vocals to the band’s sound. They’re really nothing special, but they get the job done and never sound out of place or lame. The lyrics aren’t really comprehensible, but after reading them, you can see that they don’t change the way you perceive the band’s music in anyway.
Though War of Ages has brought us a highly enjoyable listening experience, they still pass off as an As I Lay Dying cover band, never really reaching out of their comfort zone (except perhaps the instrumental track, which is the best track off the album along with Desire). Also, the rhythmic parts fail to be anything other than average. The bass is inaudible, and while not bad, the drumming is fairly simple, and sort of reminds you of Lars Ulrich’s (Metallica) style. I do recommend it though for those who are looking for bands similar to KSE or AILD, it will bring you the fun you're looking for.
