UMUR "Implements Of Excruciation" is the debut full-length studio album by US death metal act Warp Chamber. The album was released through Profound Lore Records in March 2020. It is succeeded by the December 2018 "Abdication Of The Mind" demo and the two tracks from the demo ("Abdication Of The Mind" and "Harvesting the Life Force of a Crumbling Orb") have been re-recorded and included on "Implements Of Excruciation". As "Implements Of Excruciation" only features 4 tracks and a total playing time of 30:06 minutes you don´t get much new material if you already own the demo. "Implements Of Excruciation" was recorded/mixed in early 2018 at Earhammer Studios by Greg Wilkinson, which makes me think that this album was maybe recorded before the "Abdication Of The Mind" demo but released after...

...oh well thoughts and assumptions regarding chronology aside, Warp Chamber play a very similar style of old school death metal on both "Abdication Of The Mind" and "Implements Of Excruciation", which of course to some degree owes to the fact that the two releases share two tracks, but the two remaining tracks on "Implements Of Excruciation" are also in the same early 90s brutal, semi-technical, and gloomy almost abstract death metal style. I hear influences from artists like Morbid Angel, Suffocation, Incantation, and Immolation at various points throughout the album, but Warp Chamber don´t sound exactly like their influences. They for example have the more contemporary habit of placing the unintelligible growling vocals very low in the mix, giving the music a cavornous mystical effect.

"Implements Of Excruciation" features a slightly more professional sounding production job compared to the production values on "Abdication Of The Mind", but they are not far from each other in sound quality, and "Implements Of Excruciation" are as abstract and chaotic sounding as the demo. It´s a sound which suits the complex structures of the band´s songs and their otherworldly gloomy sound. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Abdication Of The Mind" is the first demo recording by US, death metal act Warp Chamber. The demo was independently released in December 2018. Warp Chamber formed in 2016 and this two-track demo was the ticket to them being signed to Profound Lore Records for the release of their debut full-length studio album "Implements Of Excruciation", which was released in March 2020. Both tracks from the demo would be re-recorded and included on "Implements Of Excruciation"

Stylistically this is death metal greatly influenced by the late 80s/early 90s US death metal scene and it´s artists like early Suffocation, Incantation, and Morbid Angel, who come to mind while listening to "Abdication Of The Mind". So while this is certainly old school death metal to the bone, there are also some brutal thrashy sections, which are great for the variation of the demo. The tracks feature many twists and turns and they aren´t easily accessible material, but the complex structures of the tracks only add to the gloomy mystery of the release. Both are pretty long tracks (6:38 and 9:08 minutes long respectively).

Warp Chamber is a well playing band and they deliver their music with tight precision, but also the right amount of raw and gloomy authenticity. The growling vocals are placed a bit low in the soundscape and although they get the job done, I think they could have made more impact in the music if they have been mixed a little higher.

"Abdication Of The Mind" features a sound production which many late 80s/early 90s death metal bands could only dream of having on their demos. It´s raw, unpolished, and sometimes close to chaotic sounding, but it´s arguably a professional and very well sounding production, considering that this is a demo release. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.