Torchbearer. Warnaments. The words alone sound epic, provoking thoughts and images of war and glory. But what else could you expect from a Swedish Melodic/Blackened Death Metal band who's latest release sits you right in the seat of World War I; well, it doesn't so much sit you in the seat as it does lift you off your feet, throw you in the chair, and tie you to it; leaving you helplessly intrigued in the extreme furry of fast paced guitar riffs, extreme precise drumming, and ranging rough vocals. Top that off with the beautiful and ever so fascinating sound of classical piano and string scores cleverly combined with the devastating sounds of war, and you got yourself a winner. This is Melodic Blackened Death Metal. This is
Torchbearer.
Pär Johansson (Unmoored, Satariel) – Vocals
Pär offers some amazing vocals that range quite a bit throughout the album. Screams to growls, deathly to melodic, Pär really delivers.
Christian Älvestam (Unmoored, Scar Symmetry, Incapacity, Solar Dawn) - Lead Guitar
Christian takes care of the lead guitar and melodies which are absolutely outstanding. Being a guitarist myself, I was really drawn into Christian's melodic leads that work perfect with the rest of the band; not to mention some of his jaw dropping solo's.
Mikael Degerman - Bass, Backing Vocals
Although hard to pick out without a trained ear, Degerman's bass really does offer some great bass lines; but he rarely stands out. He does however, back Pär nicely, also ranging in vocal style and pitch.
Henrik Schönström (Unmoored, Incapacity, Solar Dawn) – Drums
Henrik really jumps out on this album. He is a superb drummer who uses everything he can to back the rest of the band; he even stands out at times during guitar solo's. Schönström is quickly becoming one of my favorite drummers in the genre with his sometimes progressive timings and always relentless driving power.
Göran Johansson (Setherial, Chaosdaemon) - Rhythm Guitar
Göran does what he does well, keep the rhythm. Nothing outstanding, but he does his job.
"… I can't tell you anything you don't know that doesn't affect you out there. Fight. Try not to be killed. That is all…" - quotes the interlude in the song
'Last Line of Defense', track three off
Warnaments. It seems as if an Admiral, Captain, or General is telling this to his troops on 'the last line of defense', though this quote should probably be presented to the listener at the beginning of the album; as it will likely leave you one of the fallen listeners in the trenches, bleeding and fighting for your life as the cytotoxic mustard gas of music engulfs you - but it's a good thing in this case.
In fact, most of this album deals with fighting on the sea, rather than in the trenches of the Western Front during WWI. Head North from where the majority of the conflict was on the Main Front between Germany and France. North of that point, just off the mainland of Denmark, you will find yourself in a body of water called Jutland. This is where the largest naval battle of World War I commenced, and also where most of the lyrical imagery of the album comes from. The beyond epic Battle of Jutland between the British and the German forces, where approximately 8,500 were killed and over 1,000 were wounded... But, away from that, and onto the music:
'Dark Clouds Gathering' opens the album, quiet, followed by a distant radar blip sound. Immediately after, charges the brutal while melodic sound of
Torchbearer - one guitar pounding and the other playing a chilling lead melody that works all too well. You also get a taste of how talented
Schönström is on the skins; with plenty of double bass and some very technical fills that are truly astounding. The first vocal sound is of
Pär Johansson screaming, it's dark and deep, and gives you a good idea of how his vocals might sound, but they range quite a bit through this track as well as the album.
'Dark Clouds Gathering' is mainly driven by the melodic lead guitar, brought to you by
Älvestam, as well as the blistering drumming. This track takes the early lead for my personal favorite on the album as it flaunts the musical talent of all of the musicians fairly well, minus the bass - which for the most part is fairly hard to differentiate between all of the other sounds.
The next track,
'Last Line of Defense' is definitely one of the harder pieces of music on this album. With hardly any melody and only a short let up about midway to introduce a brief interlude, this song is brutally fast and tough with some more amazing drumming from
Mr. Schönström which I find is the highlight of the song. It carries the feel of a more fast-paced Death Metal song than from the previous track, but doesn't take away from its greatness in the least.
Number five isn't an as upbeat track as the previous four, but it is critical to the album as it sets a dramatic mood that is carried on throughout. It opens with the clash of a cymbal with a cello playing a suspenseful tune reminiscent of the deep theme from the movie 'Jaws'. Horns soon accompany the cello, as well as the previously mentioned 'sounds of war'. You can hear the sounds of men charging, explosions, and rounds being fired. Not long after, the score takes a small turn, and you can hear the distant sounds of faint, low, over distorted guitars following the cello.
'The Stale Drownings' is a great score that is truly haunting; I only wish it would last longer. But then…
In blasts the furious
'Battlespawn'. It starts of very heavy, and the intro is followed by the screaming sound of a bomb descending towards the earth. [b]Pär Johansson's[b] vocals seem particularly harsh for the beginning of this track, but melody kicks in and his vocals get very melodic with the music.
'Battlespawn' features some odd timing's that really keep you guessing, which shows an oddly progressive side to
Torchbearer. Then all of sudden, the chaos stops, and in kicks an absolutely beautiful, although short guitar solo; this solo itself has to be one of my favorite moments of the album, although it only lasts a couple seconds before the relentless heaviness stomps back in to finish the song off (not like there in anything wrong with that of course).
An odd effect at the intro of
'Where Night is Total' sets this track apart from the others. It features a great mid-song guitar solo by Älvestam followed by the same synth effect as the intro which works surprisingly well with everything; adding to the reason why this is definitely a top contender for my favorite track on
Warnaments. Another spine chilling solo toward the end wraps this track into a neat little package - another highlight of the album, which works its way incredibly well into the song.
'The Blunted Weapon' is a perfect way to end an absolutely astounding album. It has an extremely heavy intro and another early guitar solo. An interlude about two minutes in features a narrative backed by some simple, clean guitar with a driving synth. The narrator describes the aftermath and horrors of battle. He speaks of the death toll, the casualties, the atrocity and reality of bloodshed. The foolishly titled 'War to End All Wars'. An exquisite finale follows, ending with a distant explosion that leaves you speechless until the click of the CD is heard, and the display stops back at track one…
To think that for quite a while I wasn't a big fan of most Black/Death Metal now seems foolish.
Warnaments opened up a whole new sound for me that I now plan on pursuing more intensely than before. It is an overall excellent album with so much to offer, above all, it was enjoyable and rather fresh despite its total time clocking in at only 34 minutes and 30 seconds. I never wanted to change the track or even think about searching for the forward button, I was literally captivated from the beginning. They're Blackened/Thrash Melodic style of Death Metal is loaded with technicality, melody, and of course, intensity. With a great concept of WWI and The Battle of Jutland, and symphonic pieces cleverly fused with the dramatic sounds of warfare, it's just too bad that
Torchbearer isn't more recognized in the metal world.
Of course, I recommend listening to this as one piece of music, the way it should be, but I know this is a tough album to find and there are some stadout tracks that really need to be heard…
Recommended Tracks:
Dark Clouds Gathering
Where Night is Total
Battlespawn
Last Line of Defense
This Message Edited On 07.24.07
