War of Aggression,
A Perfect Murder
If 'Strength Through Vengeance' could have been criticised, it was one of those records that stuck quite firmly to the hardcore rulebook; heavy riffs, bone-crushing vocals and some really thudding breakdowns. Critically acclaimed by many, A Perfect Murder have gone back to the drawing board and their new record showcases a slightly different, perhaps more refined, sound. It's a record that perhaps loses some of the more obvious focuses in hardcore and sharpens them up. The breakdowns are less obvious - and frequent - and there are more solos, many of which are quite overblown and more prominent in metal bands such as Pantera or Avenged Sevenfold. The solo in 'Rapture', for instance, is fantastic.
That's not to say 'War of Aggression' is my favourite album of the year. There are some borrowed riffs and the Pantera nods seem to come up rather frequently - 'Disconnect', for example, sounds rather familiar and Kevin Randel's vocals have a touch of the Phil Anselmo's throughout. That said, a number of these tracks do the job very nicely, with 'Enemy of Mine' and 'In Hell' particular favourites. And while it will be interesting to note how fans of the band perceive the change in direction, I believe this is a pretty solid follow-up.
» Official Website
