Shrapnel Storm "Mother War"

    Like a blast from an explosive old school death metal shell, Shrapnel Storm leaves listeners with a brutal musical experience. This Finnish death metal outfit delivers a blazing release of solid extreme music.
    Instantly listeners will pick up on the vicious old school death metal sound that has this aggressive mid-tempo groove. Their debut full-length album, “Mother War,” is full of war themed lyrics and terrorizing riffs. When listening to this album you feel as if you are standing in a combat zone. Instead of bullets flying by your head you have intense drum parts and bone crushing guitar riffs. Also, the vocals standout amongst the chaotic musical landscape with an unforgiving low death growl delivery.
    The opening song on the album begins with the sound of air raid sirens blasting, and then comes the thunderous composition. Right away the band pounds out a loud bombastic piece of death metal music. The following track, “Carpet Bombing,” definitely has that Bolt Thrower like sound and presentation. Once Shrapnel Storm is locked into a killer sounding verse composition, it is almost like you don’t want them to stop because the riff is so damn brutal and catchy.
    Track number three and four are a couple of war ripping death metal songs that maintain a consistent sound. “Combat High,” track number four, is an intense jam that gets the adrenaline pumping and is just a beast of a song. I really like the rhythm section for this band because the drummer and bass player create these solid heavy grooving backbones.
    “Calling of the Void” and “Warfiend,” continue to crush listeners’ ears with wicked mid-tempo death metal arrangements. “Warfiend,” is one of my favorite songs on this album. The drummer and guitar parts add to the song’s overall explosive chaotic tone and the vocalist lays down the lyrics with a sense of unforgiving brutality.
    The final song on this album is, “Rising Storm.” On this track the band uses different tempos and in certain sections gives the music this slow haunting doom vibe. As the death metal instrumental jam fades away, a solemn piano piece begins to sooth over the previous war themed death metal tracks. However, the piano is cut short due to the sound of a bullet being fired and thus ends the album. Clever way to end an album I must say.
    For the most part, Shrapnel Storm offers a solid sounding death metal release with, “Mother War.” I will say that this type of music has been done numerous times before and the war themed lyrical motifs are nothing new in the world of death metal. Just ask Bolt Thrower who has made a career about writing songs about war and that table top war themed game. Though I must say that Shrapnel Storm sounded better than most of your old school sounding acts. Also, the recording sounds really good and gives the band a brutal sound that does not come across sounding sloppy.
    So, if you are looking for intense grooving old school sounding death metal...you should enter the Shrapnel Storm. Just to make clear, do not enter an actual Shrapnel Storm because you will be fatally injured. Check out the band Shrapnel Storm!

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