How do two guys with more projects than they know what to do with kick off the new year? By teaming together with yet ANOTHER project to add to their respective resumes! Meet Weaponry. This newly formed duo consists of Avulsed founder Dave Rotten and the mastermind behind Ice War, Aphrodite, and countless other Canadian metal outfits, Jo Steel. Together, the two have teamed up to create an album that is fast, filthy, and downright ferocious, Everwinding Slaughter.
From the get go, Everwinding Slaughter sounds like something that Rotten would’ve discovered via his tape trading days of the mid to late 80s. You know, back in the day when death metal wasn’t necessarily a “thing” yet. By “thing”, I mean a full fledged genre and scene the way it became come 1989, spawning countless zines, deathfests, and so forth. These were the good old days where if it was extreme, it was worth checking out. Slayer, Kreator, Venom, Discharge: The list goes on. This early unapologetic amalgamation of metal and punk proved crucial for the future of both genre’s respective undergrounds.
Everwinding Slaughter wastes no time getting to the point with its no nonsense opener, “Speedkill”. This is some high speed, death/thrash, caked by a filthy layer of crust and a frantic dose of chaos bordering on grind. Contrasting it is “The Oozer” (what a song title!), which repurposes the most barbaric moments of Celtic Frost and Autopsy into a metalpunk malaise. The riffs are low and grimy, as are the vocals, while the drums alternate between d-beats and blasts. The first half of the album focuses heavily on classic death/thrash. My choice cut, “Future Wasteland”, recalls the earliest days of thrash. Think Kill ‘Em All and Haunting the Chapel, but with pure death metal vocals.
As the album progresses, we’re treated to some gut-crushing, maggot riddled death/doom (“The Burned Land”), before being blitzed by a string of crusty death/thrash ragers. From the violent, Anti-Cimexian assault of “Crossbow Warrior”, to the supersonic Show No Mercy speedfest that is “Zone Traveler”, Weaponry lives up to their name, boasting quite the lethal arsenal. Closing it all out is one more trip to Celtic Frostville, “Toxic Waste Overture”, whose chugging mosh riffs are bound to get even the most serious metallers in the pit. Keep your folded arms and serious faces at the back door!
For a passion project, Weaponry boasts more substance than most full fledged bands in the death/thrash/metalpunk field. Granted, between them, Rotten and Steel have about 50 years of experience…Rotten and Steel. Why didn’t they go with that for a band name? Rotten Steel? Man, that sounds crusty as all hell, but I digress. Weaponry is a fine name for this band. It definitely suits the music being played. Each song slices, dices, impales, and skewers, like the musical equivalent of a weapon. Let’s hope this slaughter is more than a one off!
7 out of 10
Label: Xtreem Music
Genre: Death/Thrash Metal
For fans of: Celtic Frost, Autopsy, Slayer