[METAL
SHREDDER REPORTING]
A couple of
weeks ago I met the British boys from Promethium at Jeugdhuis Asgaard where
they played alongside Belgian thrash metal act Objectör. Both me and the
audience were impressed by their energetic and captivating performance and
shortly after their show I introduced myself to Promethium. They gave me a free
copy of their latest album Faces Of War in exchange for a review and so it’s now
time for me to return the favor!
[THE
SHREDDING BASICS]
Faces Of
War is the third full length release from the Lancaster based heavy metal band
Promethium. The album is distributed by Load4 Records and consists of 10 tracks
for a healthy 40 minutes of playtime. In terms of style Promethium plays a
mixture of old-school heavy and thrash metal. It combines elements from acts
like Iced Earth, Pantera and Black Sabbath and as a result you get an album
with mid to fast-paced hard-hitting riffs, memorable guitar solos, catchy
lyrics and howling vocals. All of that stuff combined gives the songs an
aggressive yet also a tragic undertone. In addition Henry and Rossi frequently
provide backing vocals in which they repeat certain parts of the lyrics in a
raw, growling voice and so creating a nice echoing contrast between Steve’s
clean, high-pitched singing. Faces Of War isn’t a long album and that’s a good
thing since the band’s style fits perfectly for short, fast-paced songs and in
Faces Of War they definitely play to their strengths. The songs are tightly
woven together and all bands members shine throughout the album in their own respective
ways.
[THE
SHREDDING THEMES AND VISION]
Faces Of
War is a concept album and as its title suggests, the concept is the horrors of
modern warfare! The mass slaughtering of the youth on the battlefields,
propaganda (including one song dealing with the Holocaust), the threat of
nuclear warfare, post-war trauma and more are all discussed in Faces Of War.
It’s horrifying to think how much war has changed over the past 100 years ever
since gunfire, airplanes, nuclear bombs and mass media propaganda have come
into play! As a result, war has become all the more destructive and
all-encompassing for it. And with Faces Of War Promethium present the
gruesomeness of worldwide conflict in all its “glory.”
And the
band also took well care of the visual department for Faces Of War. In the
booklet every song has its own page and adequate picture. I particularly like
the collage they made for the title track. It shows various soldiers (both male
and female and from various ethnic groups) looking weary at the camera, the
strain of battle in their eyes. An effective visual representation about how
war effects everyone, no matter what age, gender or race.
[THE
SHARPEST SHREDS & BLUNTEST BLADES]
One of my
absolute favorites on Faces Of Wars is the fourth track, Shell Shock. The song
has a style and structure that reminds me of the Iron Maiden classic Remember
Tomorrow. A slow and melancholic melody that frequently gets overtaken by a
thunderous riff! The same goes with the vocals, during the moody parts Steve
sings in a broken-down voice but with a hint of repressed anger. And that anger
fully explodes during the louder parts of the song! It’s a truly compelling
track that gave me chills when I first heard that song during Promethium’s live
gig at Asgaard. From that moment on, I knew I had to buy that album!
Although
Enemies Fate isn’t a bad track by any means it isn’t that good of an opener,
especially not when compared to the catchy explosiveness of its succeeding
track Declaration. Personally I would have opened the album with a short 2
minute instrumental (a great way for Dan and Rossi to show off their guitar
shredding skills) in which the song’s riffs are played alongside the sounds of
war. Men screaming in pain, other men yelling orders, gunfire, explosions,
sirens, etc. And then I’d transition into the song Declaration and let Steve
come up and yell the phrase THIS IS WAR just as he does in the track itself. I
think that would’ve made for an epic start of this album. That being said, this
album still more than deserves…
[THE
SHREDDER’S SCORECARD]
8,5 brave
soldiers out of 10! With this third full-length release Promethium have more
than clearly proven that they’re an underrated force to be reckoned with. Faces
Of War is an album that I can wholeheartedly recommend to anyone looking for
all kills, no frills heavy metal! No need to press F to pay respects, just
check this band and album out! And check out the album's fourth track, Shell Shock, below!
