By: Richard Maw
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 21/1/2013
Label: Southern Lord
The record is crust/punk/metal at its finest- nothing new here, admittedly, but it delivers on every level that you would want. A pure blast of napalm laced air. Buy it and find out.
“Iconic Nightmare” track Listing
1) Iconic Nightmare (3:32)
2) Unfinished Blueprint (2:52)
3) Permanent Blackout (1:00)
4) No Sanctuary No Salvation (4:22)
5) Six Feet Under (3:43)
6) Knee Deep In Blood (1:40)
7) All Flags Still Burn (3:33)
8) Betrayal (1:42)
9) Burial Ground (2:43)
Wartorn is
Bitty | Vocals
Ryan | Lead Guitar
Toban | Guitar
Ela | Bass
Hart | Drums
Ryan | Lead Guitar
Toban | Guitar
Ela | Bass
Hart | Drums
The Review
Southern Lord offers up more crust punk/metal fury with Wartorn's “Iconic Nightmare” and the title track is first up and offers nice time changes, deft riffing and a lovely raw production. It really sets the tone for the rest of the album. “Unfinished Blueprint” follows, keeping the energy high as death growls come in with the rasping hardcore vocals (given a slight distortion in the production- excellent touch).
“Permanent Blackout” is announced with the title and offers crashing chords, D-Beats and crust riffing. The record barrels into “No Sanctuary No Salvation” which boasts a riff that is VERY rock 'n' roll- it is swaggering and greasy and is a large part of why this album appeals to me so much. The song writing chops are good, the structures precise and lean. The riff towards the end even has a sort of melancholy vibe to it- too cool.
Melodic guitars start off “Six Feet Under” with the kind of vibe that might even suit a doom record. The pace is reigned in for a minute and a half until the track gathers pace via the drums then the riffing. Sandpaper vocals kick in too and trade lines with the aforementioned death growl style. “Knee deep In Blood” is one and a half minutes of punk/metal muscle flexing. “All Flags Still Burn” continues that in that vein very satisfyingly. The guitar work is well put together with an edge to the riffing that keeps the listener interested and guessing.
The penultimate track “Betrayal” gives us clean guitar to start and a very forlorn vibe that echoes the sentiment of the title. It works very well as an instrumental bridge to the final track “Burial Ground” which delivers grinding punk metal fury as the double bass drums roll like tanks and the guitars cut like razor wire.
The record is crust/punk/metal at its finest- nothing new here, admittedly, but it delivers on every level that you would want. A pure blast of napalm laced air. Buy it and find out.
