After four years Winds of Plague have released their fifth studio album Blood Of My Enemy (eOne/Good Fight Music). What has helped set the deathcore act apart from other bands is their use of keyboards and the apocalyptic and symphonic tones they produce. Blood Of My Enemy carries this component along, while continuing the band’s tradition of aggressive and wild instrumentation. From beginning to end the album pumps with a racing heart rate chock full of vibrancy and warrior spirit. The music casts an overall aura that breathes with adrenaline and good vibes, empowering one with a surge of strength to take on the day, or to charge into the mosh pit.
“Nameless Walker” immediately pummels its way in with a ferocious barrage of drumming and tension stirring orchestration. The vocals bark out with rage as the instrumentals continue to clash away, settling for a moment to ease the overwhelming brutality. This works in giving the material some breathing space, as to shift back into the all-out heaviness and effectively continue to deliver the aggression. “Kings Of Carnage” comes with a heavily catchy rhythm that has the vocals and guitar work riding on waves of fury. The material settles for a time in the same manner as the previous track, helping to create a balance through the composition.
The Winds of Plague mentality is to continuously deliver heavy as hell song after song. And what the band does so well in this delivery is being able to keep the material fresh (primarily thanks to their blend of sounds and structure). This isn’t just all-out savagery, but a well-constructed flow of intensity that keeps on giving. “From Failure, Comes Clarity” casts a dark and symphonic sound that is backed by a powerful message in persevering and staying on one’s course in life. The instrumentation takes a step back from heavy beat downs, allowing the listener to take something new in. The title track takes this previous idea and steps further away from the earlier sound of the record. While the verse sections provide the traditional vocals from earlier tracks, the use of singing adds an extra layer that actually fits well into the work. This is because they never stay longer than they need to, entering and leaving in the right amount of time to add an extra kick to the presentation.
“5150” opens with a haunting aura before sliding into the band’s adrenaline fueled frenzy. The vocals continue to burst out in their barking fashion, the drum work blasting away in a whirlwind of chaos, the guitar shredding away. The vocals dip into a dense and shadowy effect, adding another element that sets the track apart from your standard heavy instrumentation. “A Walk Among The Dead” enters with a killer drive in drumming and thumping bass. The song introduces a new aura, with radiant flares of orchestration shading over the material with brightness. The overall work comes with an eerie and intense presentation, this contrasting sound injecting more of that emotion into the work.
Winds of Plague could have easily just made a record that blasts away with straight forward heaviness and left it at that. Instead, they take their pure adrenaline and furious sound, and display it in a grand fashion. This is all thanks to strong structure and chemistry, for the band takes various blends of heavy instrumentation, and package them in different shades. Blood Of My Enemy is a terrific record that rips with fury and strength, always keeping the material fresh and entertaining.
Score: 7/10
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR43ZggQZ30[/youtube]
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