WARFARE — Pure Filth (review)

Album · 1984 · Speed Metal

3/5 · 2010-09-23
Certif1ed

Wailing siren lead guitars and woom-pah doom-pah bass and drum entry followed by gravel-voiced declamations - how else to begin a Warfare album?

Follow up this very effective warning with an explosion and a track called Total Armageddon, and this is surely what the world was waiting for in metal, right?

Hmm. Not quite.

Total Armageddon has a thrashy guitar, but comes across as a kind of cheap Venom copy - the attitude of the debut Noise Filth and Fury demo just isn't there. The lyrics are rapped out in robotic dum-de-dum-de-dum-de-dum style, completely lacking conviction, the riffs are mechanical, and the overall sound seems less moshy than mushy to me. I'm not convinced by the change of gear into an Iron Maiden style gallop for the wailing Slayer-esque solo either - but I guess this, like most of Venom's material, would have carried more weight in the live domain.

Noise, Filth and Fury starts a bit more convincingly. This time it's like Cronos "singing" with Tank - but the song itself is more anthemic and convincing despite, or maybe because of its completely repetitive nature. This latter isn't a criticism, because it's very conducive to a good headbang.

Things really improve from here with the headlong manic energy of Let The Show Go On. This time, the Venom similarities really don't matter, in this madly thrashing concoction - I'm just glad I'm not driving as I write... The solo really takes off, similiarly to Kirk's in "Whiplash", which this song reminds me of just a bit. By the last chants of the chorus, I'm joining in here with mad excitement. Wooooaarrrghhh!!!!!

Breakout is another slightly cheesey thrasher replete with boom-pish drum beat and some quite inventive riffing - fine stuff!

Some noise follows - always good - to lead into Collision/Rabid Metal - is this an attempt to create a new genre? Wonder why Rabid Metal never caught on... I think the title sets expectations that the tune doesn't really live up to - it's not bad, but nowhere near as thrashy or anthemic as the previous two.

Dance of the Dead seems to herald a time for something a bit more experimental, with what sounds like anvils being beaten, and an appropriate atmosphere is set for such a Dance. This is punctilliously broken down, and we anticipate the thrashing when it kicks in - yup, this is the stuff! The tear down/kick in structuring really works for this piece and makes up for its lack of anthemic catchiness. A really nice bit of progressive metal writing.

The Limit appears to have been reached by the next track, which is a bit of a plodder and not very interesing to me until the guitar solo, at which point it shifts up a couple of gears.

The LP is rounded off by the mysteriously entitled Rose Pedals Fall, which is a thrashing slab of pure noise imbibed with wild and reckless attitude. We like.

The Venom comparisons are unavoidable, and although it's a pity in some ways to hear a clone, there's a fair amount of entertainment to be had in this LP. 0 points for originality, but just the ticket for cheering up a rainy day.