I’d rather not delve into soapbox speech about how the current scene of "metal" is overrun with generic death/hardcore crossover bands. Firstly, I would sound like the bitter old guy who runs around stating all of these obscure bands and how none of the new stuff is any good. Secondly, I’d be quite the hypocrite my musical forays began in hardcore and during this time, especially on Long Island, the scene was filled with death/hardcore crossover bands. It was the style and they took what they liked about death metal and fused it into hardcore to make it more acceptable. Instead of locking in on this type of music, I looked for heavier things, which obviously led me to death metal.

So instead of writing bands of this nature off immediately, I give them a chance. However, they have to be something special; with certain characteristics that blasts them way above the rest. I also apply this theory to cheese-steaks. I’ve had some very mediocre cheese-steaks in my life, but I give each restaurant a try. And sometimes you’ll find the best things buried in obscure places. The best cheese-steak I’ve ever had was from a cart on Broadway in New York City. I was going to walk by, without even giving it a try, writing it off as another knock-off. Instead I was lost in a sea of cheesy goodness, pepper and onion heaven, and meaty bliss. Much like I walked around the used CD store and decided to give this disc a whirl. And the reaction was much the same being lost in beefy goodness.

Premonitions of War have been around for a few years but the idea of them previously being on the new, revamped, and limp-dicked Victory Records line-up turned me off. However, from the first spin, I realized that this band was quite the force and not your run-of-the-mill death-core band. The first tracks on this disc are a re-recording from an EP that was released a few years ago. I was blown away by the sound. This is some fierce material, from the thick guitars to the insane, throaty vocals. The overall feel of this section is like being smacked in the balls with a porterhouse and then smothered with chop-meat. The songs vary from periods of intense grind with a hardcore mentality to slow, fierce sections of mosh madness. I really enjoyed how these mosh parts were smothered in groove without losing any type of intensity. Throw in some dissonant chords, some well-played drums to compliment the groove, and friggin’ nasty vocals, and you have got some quality songs. Check out the final minute of the song entitled "Illiad" you have this berserk chord progression with a bizarre drum section that makes the part sound even nastier. The song "Not a Word" begins with a dominating, slow mosh part with an intensity that other death-core bands could only wish to obtain. They take such a simple, even overused riff, and turn it into something monumental.

The second half of the disc was recorded in 2002 and it was odd that this material wasn’t placed first on the disc. It would have been nice to see the logical progression of the band but it’s a minor discrepancy. The recording of this section takes a bit away from the songs. Plus the drummer and vocalist are different on this part of the disc and they are no where near as good as the guys on the newer material. In addition, the songs are decent but I am having a hard time trying to see the progression. I can see small sections of what the band is today these older tracks but I never would have thought they were the same band. One can parallel this to Gorguts and their jump from The Erosion of Sanity to Obscura. If it wasn’t for Luc Lemay’s patented wailings, I never would have thought the two albums were by the same band. To be perfectly honest, if I had heard their older stuff first, I probably would have written Premonitions of War off quite a while ago. There really isn’t anything stand-outish about any of the songs. The only parts I did enjoy was a section of the song "The True Face of Panic" which made me think that these songs reminded me of a poor man’s Coalesce and the part of the song "Hanging Man", which made me think I was listening to Selfless era Godflesh with nastier vocals.

Let me reiterate that the older stuff is far from terrible but when we compare it to what the band is today, it seems a little weak. The good thing is that this band, according to the newer stuff, should progress in the right direction. I look forward to newer releases. I guess I should also place my disclaimer for all you elitist, narrow-minded sack-licks. If you like stuff like Cryptopsy, Nile, and Krisiun and fear any bands with hardcore mentalities, don’t bother finding this. If you are like me, have an open mind, like music with groove and aggression, find this.

Written By: Double Ds