March 23, 2010

Reviewer: The Stream

It's always interesting to hear a band's style evolve over time. We all heard Metallica's style progress from thrash to commercial. We were recently able to witness some serious evolution from California-bred Winds of Plague, who recently released The Great Stone War, a truly epic blackened symphonic deathcore release, emphasis on the symphonic. Their previous release, Decimate the Weak, their first with Century Media, was not all that well received by the metal community. Although it contained some really strong tracks (see "The Impaler" for reference), the album was generally criticized for being scatterbrained and too chaotic at times. The band must have taken some of this criticism to heart before coming up with The Great Stone War, an epic journey through the battlefields of Earth.

The Great Stone War opens up with a spoken-word introduction, which is always a good sign as far as fantasy-influenced metal goes. Once the stage is set, the listener is immediately thrust into the action via "Forged in Fire," a remarkably tight opening track that features growl and "clean" vocals, as well as a shout chorus and plenty of piano flourishes. This track, along with most of the others on the album, contains a pretty hefty breakdown, which has been a staple in Winds of Plague's songs over the course of their three releases.

As the journey continues, the careful production of The Great Stone War is readily apparent. The prominent drums and chunky bass do not drown out the common piano and string flourishes, though. Johnny Plague's growls are brutal throughout the album. As an added bonus we are treated with some serious Jamie Jasta-style screams to complement the choir and strings at the end of "Chest and Horns". It may not seem like an ideal blend, but Winds of Plague definitely makes it work, although it may have not worked as well had Winds of Plague's musicianship been at a lower level. The riffing throughout the album is tight, while Art Cruz's drumming definitely deserves special mention due to the frequent time signature changes that he powers through.

Lyrics are a bit of a sensitive issue. I was first introduced to the fantasy subgenre of heavy metal through bands like Rhapsody and Bal-Sagoth, both of whom were masterful in taking the listener through the elaborate fantasy storylines that they concocted through the songs that comprised their albums. Even as I listen today, albums like Battle Magic flow as a single entity from start to finish. This definitely comes with practice. I was without a doubt impressed with Winds of Plague's lyrical skills. The epic "Our Requiem" has the following first verse: "This will be our requiem / In the company of death we walk side by side / Cast your differences aside for the lives sacrificed / I ask one final time to unite." As epic as it is, there is still room for improvement. The bottom line is that bands like Bal-Sagoth set a very high standard.

The Great Stone War is definitely a well-done album. Winds of Plague is on top of their musical game, and the production is excellent. It's readily evident that the band's style has matured since their last release. Winds of Plague has developed enough of a following to warrant a European tour with Despised Icon, as well as a spot on the Rockstar MayhemFest tour this summer. The Great Stone War will appeal to metalcore fans as well as to J.R.R. Tolkien fans. Take heed before listening and prepare for an intense battle!

Release Date: August 24th, 2009
Label: Century Media

TRACK LISTING

1.  Earth
2.  Forged In Fire
3.  Soldiers Of Doomsday
4.  Approach the Podium
5.  Battle Scars
6.  Chest And Horns
7.  Creed Of Tyrants
8.  Our Requiem
9.  Classic Struggle
10.  The Great Stone War
11.  Tides Of Change 

Total playing time:  37:17

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Winds of Plague - The Great Stone War