Whoa, what a slap in the face! This is extreme metal, not classical orchestra. Luckily, War From A Harlot’s Mouth aren’t inclined to waste time on their release, MMX. This is deathcore, whether the breakdowns are expected or dreaded, as sure as day they will be there.
What is most striking about this band is that they do things between the breakdowns, this is often a problem for lesser deathcore bands that bank their entire song on one breakdown and filler riffs. Speaking of the breakdowns, they’re pretty grueling. Slower than sloths and heavier than freight trains, these behemoth collapses shatter preconceived notions of heavy note by note. The real gems on this album though are the dissonant riffs and the occasional extended feedback sections.
This album is rife with leads that really give some life to the otherwise stifled genre of deathcore. They’re not ridiculously technical but each band member definitely has a handle on their instrument which occasionally is let it shine through the abyssal, oppressive atmosphere of the music. The atmospherics on this album are subtle but they help set the right contexts for the riffs and breakdowns to sound as claustrophobic and demented. The only drawback to this release is the fact that it can be somewhat repetitive, but otherwise it’s quite a fun listen. For fans of brutal death metal and deathcore.
In A Word: Gnashing
