Warfather
The Grey Eminence
(Greyhaze Records)
Famously known for his work in Morbid Angel, Steve Tucker and crew are back with their sophomore effort, as well as some notable lineup changes. First of all, Armatura and Deimos are both out of the band, having been replaced by two brand new talents in Jake Kock (Guitars) and Bryan Bever (Drums) respectively. Deimos and Pilasiewicz were both known for playing in a bevy of other acts, but it’s pretty safe to say that Kock and Bever (almost seems like a weird sexual joke in there somewhere) demonstrate their abilities rather well here. Bever’s drumming is particularly notable, as he pummels the kit just as much as he shows a love for technicality; which gives the performance a little bit of body. It almost sounds like Formulas Fatal To The Flesh in that aspect, although I’ve noticed just one glaring issue that brings the whole thing down for me.
Despite that the drumming is quite strong and that the riffs are just as menacing as Tucker’s rough and rowdy vocal approach here, The Grey Eminence just felt kind of, well… grey. They seem to have taken a very odd approach to recording this album, which basically features five songs of blazing death metal with little frills (aside from notable guitar solo sections) and four much longer cuts with more muscularity in composition, not to mention brood factor. It’s nice to get both a sense of depravity as well as despair on a death metal record, and I feel that the last couple of cuts captured that a bit better than the first few. You’ll of course have your own differentiating opinions on this one, which I can understand, as it’s admittedly a very tough album to call. Thankfully, I can say that although Warfather’s debut album Orchestrating The Apocalypse was riddled with production issues, I’m not hearing a repeat of that on this one and that should be good news for most of you. The recording still sounds very warm (as it should) but it’s audible. I can easily discern the riffs, the drumming and the vocals. Nothing sounds like it’s too far in the front or has been pushed too far towards the back, with what I could more or less consider a nearly perfect mix altogether.
Though the album doesn’t really manage to leave an impression on me as far as the first five cuts are concerned, (aside from some rather notable solo moments) there are a few real gems further towards the back. The first of these is called “Heedless Servant” which throws things into a nearly doom-influenced tempo, pounding us with grooves similar to those featured on “Where The Slime Live” albeit with a greater sense of technicality. I can’t say that the piece is as memorable as the aforementioned, but it’s still a very good track. This high-water mark only continues into “Carnage Of The Pious” which seems to mix the blazing death metal of the first half of the album with the more brooding nature that seems to embody of the second half. I think it comes off a bit better here, as the transition gives it some body, rather than just being a meatless skeleton like a lot of the first few tracks. The solo efforts featured on these later cuts are also remarkable. Just what we’d expect from a Morbid Angel record, as far as that’s concerned. I’ll even go so far as to say that opener “Order Of The Horde” seems to appeal a bit more to me upon the third listen, so perhaps this is the kind of record that you really have to play a few times before it really soaks in.
Tucker and crew certainly have made a real puzzler here, and I’m wracking my brain a little in trying to understand it. I feel that I hear something new every time I press play, and that to me is the kind of record that I’d feel is worth your time and energy. I feel that I should note at least one more time that Warfather are not onto any new or groundbreaking territory with this release, and it will mainly appeal to fans of the Morbid Angel style of technically influenced death metal that featured Tucker way back when. While not as remarkable as Formulas Fatal To The Flesh, The Grey Eminence definitely shows it’s staying power and is a much stronger release than the act’s ham-fisted debut. If you’re still on the fence about it, preview a couple of songs before you decide to leap face-first into this hoary abyss. (The Grim Lord)
Purchase The Grey Eminence here.
