Weapon

From The Devil's Tomb

Written by: EW on 29/10/2010 23:18:55

I do love a good meaty chunk of bona fide extreme metal, don't you? The world may test my patience with endless(ly shit) one-man bedroom black metal bands and monotonous blasting death metal but when an act like Canadian's Weapon appear in my inbox all distaste is forgotten more swiftly than a bunch of reprobates like these could cause havoc in a nunnery. I want to introduce you to "From the Devil's Tomb" and to know that it is good. Blindingly good.

Their moniker is metal as fuck, the title means business and the 9 songs within flay skin in a clinical demonstration of what it means to be both brutal and capable of writing songs in methods that were common place in the early days of extreme metal yet apparently absent from much of today's fare. "Inner Wolf" is an exorcism of the weak plastic metal passing nowadays for 'extremity'; opener "From the Devil's Tomb" does away with the need for gentle introductions by providing the first of many headbanging riffs to come; "Vortex 11724" is a mean mother of a mid-paced song; and "Vested In Surplice, And Violet Stole" an approximate marriage of the best of BM and DM. Such is the dark cavernous feel to the riffs coupled with the modern-yet-dank production that once Weapon get going the ferociousness of their attack has proven enough to excite a cynical 'heard it all before' type like myself, high praise indeed from anyone who knows me.

More so than previously enjoyable black/death efforts from Spearhead, Destruktor, Goatwhore and Ruins the fervent deviation of which Weapon take from the skull-crushing blast inspires the whole effort onto a greater plain. Ceaseless brutality can have it's moments but variation a great record makes, as the Asian vibe of "Sardonye" reflects the roots of mainman Vetis Monarch and "LeftHandPathYoga" impressively displays the ethnic instrumentation of the band, does the rating of the album go upwards. This awareness to detail allows the album's 54 minutes to fly past in a blur of metallic loveliness with the added bonus that it's hard to find excuses not to press play very soon after.

The accompanying press notes "From the Devil's Tomb" as a perfect balance of Morbid Angel's "Blessed are the Sick" and Mayhem's "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas", extremely ambitious words of course, yet merited from multiple listens to the band's second album. Much like the criminally under-rated The Chasm, Weapon are exponents of the RIFF; it's importance placed above all else and the sole being upon which "From the Devil's Tomb" is worthy of recommendation. Naturally it will take a lot more than just a 'great' record for Weapon to reach the consciousness of all their potential fans but on the basis of "From the Devil's Tomb", Weapon have at least done half the job in getting there.

Download: The Inner Wolf, From The Devil's Tomb, Vortex - 11724
For the fans of: The Chasm, Spearhead, Behemoth, Arkhon Infaustus, Morbid Angel, Mayhem
Listen: Myspace

Release date 01.11.2010
Agonia Records/AJNA Offensive

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