Thursday, February 12, 2015

CD review: WORSELDER MMXIV by Frank Garcia

MMXIV
Independent
Worselder is a five piece metal band from Pamiers, France. members are Vocals- Guillaume "Glen", Guitars- Yoric & James (Heckle & Jeckle of Metal), Bass, Backing vocals- Yannick, Drums- Mitch. Genre is described as a brutal mix of traditional Metal meets 90’s Hardcore type sounds-meets a Stoner in Thrash alley.
This is their self released EP MMXIV. It became available via their Bandcamp site on September 25 2014. Very good production quality. Punchy upfront drum sound, crunchy mid distortion guitar tones and solid bass tones. Vocals have a great range and are easy to understand, it was not difficult for me to comprehend all lyrics being expressed. One of the bands that come to my mind as i listen is early Flotsam and Jetsam No Place for Disgrace album. The first song The Sickening has a good build up with a memorable guitar riff leading the listener in. Not complex, just a good jam that anyone can easily get into. A solid blend of guitar harmonies in the middle with catchy solos. Home of The Grave, nice title and mesmerizing intro. One of the things that I enjoyed the most on this song were the intense bass lines, since the guitar riffing stayed on higher notes it was interesting to hear the how the bass lines build a solid rhythm to keep the songs intensity throughout from beginning to the end. The Haven is the last song, a good mix of groove metal and high singing. I can easily envision a good audience pumping their fist in the air to this track. Good verses and catchy chorus. Overall, a solid EP that can easily catch the ears of a vast group of people from old to young metalheads. The songs have a lot to offer from groove to heavy and catchy solos. I recommend it for fans of 80s to 90s metal bands but also transcending into some more modern metal riffing. Be sure to also check out their previous release "Where We Come From" from 2010 which is also available on their Bandcamp site for free. -Frank Garcia