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Album Review – Warcrab / The Howling Silence (2023)

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UK’s own Death and Doom Metal bulldozer is back in action with their strongest effort to date, having progressed into a faster, crustier direction while still remaining loyal to their doomed roots.

Just when you thought the music by UK-based Doom/Sludge Metal titans Warcrab was getting slower and sludgier, they do the unexpected and bring in Death Metal influences in a huge way in their demolishing new opus, titled The Howling Silence, the follow-up to their critically acclaimed albums Scars of Aeons and Damned In Endless Night. And that Death Metal approach is not even presented in the form of a thick, ponderous blend of the two styles; instead, the band currently formed of Martyn Grant on vocals, Geoff Holmes and Leigh Jones on the guitars, Dave Symonds on bass and Rich Parker on drums has shedded the extra weight that was holding them down and have progressed into a faster, crustier direction. Displaying a sinister artwork by Feltnan Art, The Howling Silence effortlessly switches between the band’s two predominant styles as and when the music demands it rather than having a monotonous and predictable sound, while still remaining loyal to their doomed roots.

The quintet wastes no time and begins shaking the foundations of earth in Orbital Graveyard, a thunderous fusion of Death, Doom and Sludge Metal where Martyn roars and barks manically accompanied by the pounding drums by Rich; followed by Titan of War, another Stoner and Sludge Metal attack spearheaded by the crushing riffs by Geoff and Leigh while Dave hammers his bass in the name of heaviness, and the music flows majestically until the very last second for our vulgar delectation. After such imposing tune we’re treated to Black Serpent Coils, a neck-breaking extravaganza that showcases all the power of the riff, blending the band’s sound from their previous records with a more contemporary sonority, and the final result is yet again superb, whereas their harsher, more visceral vein explodes in the Death Metal-fueled tune Sword of Mars, led by the venomous growls by Martyn while the band’s guitar duo gives a lesson in riffs and solos. Put differently, simply get into the pit and crush your spinal cord to the sound of such pulverizing chant.

After such devastating aria, it’s time for a darker, more introspective creation by Warcrab named As the Mourners Turn Away, starting in a lugubrious way highly inspired by classic Doom Metal and Blackened Doom, with Rich taking the lead with his sluggish beats in almost nine minutes of total darkness; and that Stygian aura goes on in Sourlands Under a Rancid Sun, with the low-tuned, menacing bass by Dave paving the path for his bandmembers to smash us all in a great display of Death and Doom Metal, not to mention how devilish Martyn’s roars sound and feel. Lastly, the band offers our avid ears the 10-minute title-track Howling Silence, a Death, Doom and Sludge Metal voyage presenting sharp, caustic riffs, tribal drums and an absolutely cryptic atmosphere, or in other words, it’s a bestial creation that lives up to the legacy of the most infernal form of Doom Metal imaginable, with Geoff and Leigh being flawless armed with their axes from start to finish, ending the album on a grim, vile manner.

This British bulldozer of extreme music is waiting for you on Facebook to crush your soul with news, tour dates and so on, and on Spotify to haunt you for all eternity with their dense and somber creations. Also, don’t forget to grab a copy of the pulverizing The Howling Silence from their own BandCamp page, as well as from the Transcending Obscurity Records’ webstore as a digipak CD (also available in their European store) or as a very special digipak CD + shirt bundle. The Howling Silence is Warcrab at the peak of their creative prowess; they are back and better than ever before, and you’re more than invited to join them in their feast of death and doom.

Best moments of the album: Titan of War, Sword of Mars and Howling Silence.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2023 Transcending Obscurity Records

Track listing
1. Orbital Graveyard 4:07
2. Titan of War 5:54
3. Black Serpent Coils 5:30
4. Sword of Mars 4:31
5. As the Mourners Turn Away 8:55
6. Sourlands Under a Rancid Sun 5:51
7. Howling Silence 10:41

Band members
Martyn Grant – vocals
Geoff Holmes – lead guitars
Leigh Jones – rhythm guitars
Dave Symonds – bass
Rich Parker – drums

Album Review – Warcrab / Scars of Aeons (2016)

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Enjoy one of the most complete and thrilling Sludge Metal albums of the past few years, courtesy of six exceptional musicians from the UK.

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coverIt’s time to get extremely heavy with the precise fusion of Death, Sludge and Doom Metal blasted by British squad Warcrab, a sextet that has been on the road since 2009 offering their warlike music to fans of the dark side of underground metal, starting with their self-titled debut EP in 2012 and then with their 2014 EP named Ashes of Carnage. Hailing from Plymouth, a city on the south coast of Devon, England, Warcrab are back with new material and will crush your head with the darkened and sluggish compositions found in Scars of Aeons, their debut full-length album and one of the best of the genre from the past few years in my humble opinion.

The music by Warcrab is not only highly recommended for connoisseurs of Sludge Metal, but it’s also an amazing alternative for fans of bands like Bolt Thrower, Amon Amarth and Slayer due to the more aggressive approach coming from their Death Metal influences. That exciting mix of different types of extreme music led them to play numerous shows across the UK in 2015, sharing the stage with renowned artists such as Vader, Incantation and Desecration, which also turned out to be an excellent source of creativity and potency for the music found in Scars of Aeons. If there’s a word that can be used to define their musicality, I would say that word is “heaviness”.

The intro to the opening track Conquest couldn’t be more obscure and damned, but it’s when drummer Rich Parker starts pounding his drums that a dark feeling truly impregnates the air. Martyn Grant’s vociferations boost the vileness of the song, with guitarists Paul “Budgie” Garbett and Leigh Jones being spot-on with their heavy and demonic riffs throughout the song’s eight raw and fierce minutes, ending with a sensational solo by lead guitarist Geoff Holmes. The following song, Destroyer of Worlds, is tailored for breaking your neck and pulverizing your spinal cord, with the Death Metal vocals by Martyn matching perfectly with the musicality generated by the rest of the band. It is a kick-ass combination of the heaviness and moodiness of Sludge Metal with the belligerence of Death Metal, or in other words, the level of brutality in this amazing composition is definitely not for the lighthearted. And increasing their speed a bit and leaning towards a more Death Metal vibe, Warcrab keep attacking us all with their visceral music in the solid In the Shadow of Grief, where all guitarists are in perfect sync while Rich continues to fire his rhythmic and potent beats.

group-photoIn the sensational Bury Me Before I’m Born, Geoff’s soulful solos are exactly what’s needed to give more balance to the overall inhumanity generated by the band in the beginning of the song, before Martyn growls his possessed words in a demonic way. Moreover, it has a primeval and tribal feel that gets mesmerizing as the song progresses, with the thunderous bass by Dave “Guppy” Simmonds snarling like an evil monster in the background. Warcrab still have a 10-minute ode to darkness and hate to offer us all, the title-track Scars of Aeons, a groovy and powerful composition where Martyn leads the band’s Doom Metal assault with his deranged growls and screams. Despite being a neck-breaking tune, it also brings forward a good amount of melody and harmony to the listener, proving how talented the whole band is, gradually slowing down and getting more and more blackened and melancholic until all is said and done.

As aforementioned, I consider Scars of Aeons one of the most complete and thrilling Sludge/Doom Metal albums of the past few years, offering all the elements traditionally found in this type of music and at the same time presenting a fresh vibe thanks to the sensational job done by all Warcrab guys with their instruments. They deserve our respect and support for carrying the flag of extreme music in such a classy way, and in order to do that we should all give them a shout at their Facebook page, bang our heads to their music at their YouTube channel, and obviously purchase Scars of Aeons at the Black Bow Records’ BandCamp page.

Best moments of the album: Destroyer of Worlds and Scars of Aeons.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2016 Black Bow Records

Track listing
1. Conquest 8:29
2. Destroyer of Worlds 4:47
3. In the Shadow of Grief 5:56
4. Bury Me Before I’m Born 4:51
5. Scars of Aeons 10:09

Band members
Martyn Grant – vocals
Geoff Holmes – lead guitar
Paul “Budgie” Garbett – guitar
Leigh Jones – guitar
Dave “Guppy” Simmonds – bass
Rich Parker – drums