A Band Of Orcs - WarChiefs Of The Apocalypse

A Band Of Orcs sound more humorous then they actually are. They enjoy the theatrics of bands like Gwar and Lordi and dress up as basically well... a band of orce of death metal. However, their shows seem like some of the most entertaining, thanks to fans who send out the most interesting of gifts to the band and go to the shows with sword and axes in hand, all being ready to kill just as much as they mosh. However, Band Of Orcs aren't the usual Tolkien inspired bunch that draw on fantasy and folkish elements. Instead, they prefer to go straight down the route of catchy death metal. Because, after all, anything involving Orcs requires the roughest and loudest of musical genres.

'WarChiefs' is stated as an EP, but could easily serve as a first full length debut. It's about half an hour, which is pretty standard for death metal, and features enough tracks. Starting off with "I, Gogog," listeners will be able to tell this band isn't messing around or intending to make this a joke: they're serious. The vocals are deep and menacing while beaing able to be understood, along with the shrieks, and the riffs and also catchy as much as they are aggressive while the drumming thunders along in the background. For a first album, the production is great. Other tracks like "Procreation" feature more groove than aggression and even a bit of distorted sludge metal riffs. One can't help but be hypnotized by the dramatic war drums as the vocals growl along with the snail pace of the guitars. "Disassembly Line" showcases the band's entire musical skill as a lengthy instrumental that leans more towards thrash territory but with the speed and aggression of death metal, especially in the riffs. Then oddly enough, "Descent" is another instrumental that takes on the forboding sense that one is indeed dealing with one of Tolkien's orcs, or just about to start a huge battle. It seems out of place, but works well enough.

Finally, "Into The Maelstrom" takes listeners for a churning ride that is more midpaced than the others, save for the engaging solo near the end that just shreds completely. Overall, A Band Of Orcs make death metal highly entertaining compared to those who take it seriously. It's all evil, but in a fun way. Whether one enjoys them for the crushing aggression of their music or the creativity of their costumes and shows, it feels good to find something as engaging as them whether in the studio or on the road.

  1. I, Gogog
  2. WarChiefs Of The Apocalypse
  3. Bring Out Your Dead
  4. Procreation (Of The Wicked)
  5. Diassembly Line (instrumental)
  6. Descent
  7. Into The Maelstrom

Grimpire Entertainment
Reviewer: Colin McNamara
Dec 17, 2010

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