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This
debut recording (following their Cataclysm EP) comes
with a few accolades. Damnation is being lauded as a
flawless thrash metal recording by the specialized
media. I learned about this band via Terrorizer, who
declared them the best unsigned band in the UK. The
magazine went as far as to describe it as ‘a kick in the
teeth’. I am not sure how qualified the Amazon Store is
in the field of metal,
but they seem to consider Warpath ‘the new leaders of
thrash’, and Powerplay Magazine has called this
album ‘The Most
Exciting Thrash Album in Years!’, It then rated it as a
9 out of 10. Nevermind that I have never heard of
Powerplay Magazine. I am pretty sure they’ve never heard
of Deaf Sparrow.
So the
question is, how good is Damnation? And the answer is, it is
good, but it is not THAT good. If we base our judgment on the
riffs alone then Damnation actually kills. Therefore the songs
are good. Some are actually great. The overall performance of
the band is impressive. Songs like “Hostile Takeover” assume an
almost reverential pose towards the thrash sounds of yore.
Fluent riffs build and aggressive yet moshable and friendly
atmosphere. The solos are dexterous and melodic. Well done. To
that add the clean kick drum of James Davenport and musically
Warpath has nailed down the Bay Area sound quite well.
The low
point are the vocals of Richard Goss. In “Hostile Takeover” the
also guitarist dude spews his lines in the same pushy fashion
that Russ Anderson (Forbidden) did his in the classic Twisted
Into Form. The difference being that Goss’ vocal range is the
opposite of Anderson’s. Not high but low, not long but rather
short. Not live, nor colorful but colorless and a bit dull.
Damnation
features a pretty clean production job. Almost so clean it
sounds clinical. Professional it is, but it takes a bit away of
the roughness thrash metal should keep. Still, through the mix
job of Kevin Talley (Chimaira, Daath) and the mastering of James
Murphy (Testament, Death) we can hear the sounds of a promising
bunch. At this point, this early in their career, it is a matter
of reevaluation of questioning for this band. Check out your
weaknesses and work from there. Make wise decisions and make
things a bit wilder.
Official Site
MySpace |
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