Wrnlrd: Oneiromantical War
FSS

Having already unleashed five self-released CDs upon the masses, Wrnlrd stokes a hellacious inferno of black metal noise on this premiere outing for the FSS imprint. The Arlington, Virginia native's sound is dominated by guitar but Wrnlrd works bass, vocals, and drum programming into his poisonous mix too—though they're often buried so deeply within the hurricane you might just as easily miss them. The lethal overture “Nighthole” sets the stage for the annihilating sludge of “Breath of Doors” whose writhing guitar noise suggests a mortally wounded dinosaur's amplified scream. During “Silent Command,” the crazed bark of a “vocalist” howls at the maelstrom's center and the crack of a snare or two seems to appear too though it's almost impossible to be certain when the guitars howl so rabidly. One almost reels in shock when plaintive acoustic guitar picking pierces the nightmarish gloom of “Haxanic Stairway” but naturally it's but a momentary reprieve from the onslaught before the coup de grace, the closer “War,” gears up for its twenty-minute attack. It begins rather unthreateningly with acoustic guitar and drums leading the charge but three minutes in the floodgates open and battle ensues for a good fifteen minutes. Needless to say, the caterwaul Wrnlrd generates is immense so strap yourself in for a harrowing and merciless ride. Resembling a coal black cauldron wherein speed metal, noise, thrash, and punk combust, Wrnlrd makes Merzbow and Ministry sound about as dangerous as Maroon 5 and Olivia Newton-John. Oneiromantical War would be the perfect soundtrack for a round or two of Russian Roulette.

June 2008