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War Gods of the Deep recently dropped a new EP, called Robots, Rockets & Rampage. The band’s name immediately conjures up memories of a wildly crazy Vincent Price ruling over an underwater kingdom full of immortal pirates and slimy monsters in the 1965 movie of the same name. But it’s not. This War Gods of the Deep is a heavy metal/rock band whose influences include Kiss, Queen, Van Halen, Metallica, Def Leppard and a host of other ’80s heavy metal bands.
This War Gods of the Deep definitely has it going on.
Potent Compositions
The band’s sound revolves around heavy distorted guitars, hammer-of-the-gods drumming, and song structures ranging from polished and melodious to muscular and reckless. The result is potent compositions with Jovian oomph.
Robots, Rockets & Rampage contains three tracks. “Vasnetsov” opens with down-and-dirty guitars and chanting voices flowing into a thick, darkly energized hard metal groove. Aching guitar chords plaster the atmosphere with growling buzzsaw colors, while the pulsing rhythm throbs with supercharged relentless dynamics. Buff, ground-zero vocals give the music a menacing flavor. The muscularity of the tune is vaguely reminiscent of Metallica – thrumming, thumping and dominant.
“Mortal Cage” features a great intro full of powerfully slashing guitars and then drops into booming metal harmonics rife with opaque hues and industrial-strength rhythmic elements of full-spectrum authority. Unlike most metal songs, the vocal harmonies on “Mortal Cage” achieve superb levels of radiance and sonority. These guys know how to harmonize, imbuing the forceful chorus with dark lustrous pigments that complement the weight of the compelling guitars. A wailing, tightly controlled guitar solo boils with assertive grimy tones. This kind of control indicates nonpareil expertise on the axe.
Commanding, Resonant Guitars
Layers of guitars, bass, and beefy drums open “This Evil.” Stuttering, commanding guitars drive the tune with crushing energy and gravitational resonance. The cavernous pulsations of the rhythm shudder with the force of a grand mal seizure, while the sinister and scornful tones of the vocals encroach overhead. Parallel sonic mazes of thrumming guitars juxtaposed with the yawning depth and penetration of the bassline infuse the tune with the residual smoldering momentum of a nuclear reactor meltdown.
Robots, Rockets & Rampage is taut, powerful metal, full of tone of sepulchral gravity and superior harmonic concatenations. It exudes raw, palpable, prodigious energy and monumental rhythmic punch. Of the three tracks, “Mortal Cage” is my favorite because of the astonishing vocal harmonies and the irresistible course of the chorus. War Gods of the Deep knows how to turn up the heat.
Follow War Gods of the Deep on their website, Facebook, and Twitter.
