Nothing was known of War Curse before hitting play, so a quick look across the internet to see who exactly War Curse are. The Facebook band page being the first site to show up, I find that the band have only been around since late 2013, and after several line up changes, they seem to have found the line up they wanted and set about to record what would be their debut EP release, Final Days.
Stating their style to be ‘Old school thrash with new school aggression.’ I am instantly interested but with a lot of trepidation. Instantly I am expecting the sounds of the good era of Slayer, and the talents like Exodus and Testament, but how many bands have tried and failed?
Instantly, hearing an air raid siren ring out, a warning if ever there was that something damaging was coming, and fittingly so. ‘Dawn Patrol’ opens up at blistering pace, vocals sounded extremely like a certain Tom Araya, and from the off they seem to have a valid reason to label themselves the way they do.
‘Blue Lies of Injustice’ starts off slower, but all the presence of 80’s era thrash is there, these guys have got every element of thrash down, and the structure holds strong. Even by this track, the appeal to old school Slayer fan in me is strong, and I mean the Seasons in the Abyss/South of Heaven fan, the kids that run around screaming Slayer at every bloody gig or festival that only know ‘Angel of Death‘ and ‘Raining Blood‘ might actually be naive enough to think this could actually be Slayer (We all know the kind of people I’m talking about!)
‘Severed Crosses’ is probably the biggest track on the short, but to the point album for me. The writing in the track screams talent, riffs galore and two solo’s that just rips through like a tank through a wall. A guaranteed circle pit machine. Title track ‘Final Days‘ pushes the amp tubes to the max with such a thick distortion that I imagine this is what first discovering Venom or Kreator at a live show was like. ‘New Chemical Warfare’ brings a sound that is a more on beat and British metal feel, a welcome sound against the rest of the album.
Before you know it though your on the sixth and final track, ‘Drudge’, an almost 7 minute long closer that has its metal fingers dipped in many styles of band. Two minutes of what appears to be an instrumental displaying all the skill used in the previous songs. You can never escape the Slayer vibe though, this gives even Slayer a run for their money on anything they have written for many a year!
For a debut they should be proud, its God damn impressive and a strong sign that although most the bay area thrash bands of old aren’t as much thrash as they could be, new bands are still coming and carrying the torch. Thrash metal is still healthy and strong, and I am sure these guys will only get bigger, better and with any luck, be around for a long time yet.
