Rating: 8.4

Country: USA

Release Date: 2006

Record Label: Erre Music

Track list:
1. The Executioner
2. The Blind Leading The Blind
3. RIP You To Shreds
4. Forbidden Evil
5. Wicked Warlock
6. The Church, Inc.
7. The Executioner (Trilogy Of Terror Demo)
8. Wicked Warlock (Trilogy Of Terror Demo)
9. Forbidden Evil (Trilogy Of Terror Demo)
10. St Valentine’s Day Massacre
11. RIP You To Shreds (Radio Edit)
12. The Blind Leading The Blind (Radio Edit)
13. Untitled Outro

Band Website: War Cry.US

War Cry.US - Forbidden Evil

Roar- Vocals
Dread- Guitars, Bass
V- Drums

After months of clamorous anticipation (first ignited by Roar's momentous announcement of War Cry's reformation on the Hellride forums some time back), I now have irrefutable proof that my hopes were not in vain- this is unquestionably one of the most welcome/worthwhile reformations of recent times, and anybody who knows anything about vintage Chicago steel should be as enraptured as I am with this.

I will not plunge into a lengthy historical tract elaborating War Cry's illustrious history (or, indeed, the enduring influence they've had on riff-driven doom metal), as I intend to reserve such discussions for an impending interview with the band, but if you plead ignorance to the legacy of this short-lived troupe, certain cursory details must be noted here. As one of the leading lights of a scene that also featured the likes of Witchslayer, Zoetrope, Slauter Xstroyes and stylistic brethren/doom emperors Trouble (the mere mention of that name makes my knees wobble and my mouth foam…one of my 5 favorite bands ever), War Cry are more often remembered as Paul Speckmann's launching pad into the heavy rock underground than as riff-doling, savage doom metal pioneers, a spectacularly unjust fate, to be sure, considering the fact that Trilogy Of Terror remains one of the most righteous sermons to the RIFF in heavy metal scripture. This is not an exercise in gushing hyperbole (and I am cognizant of the fact that I, of all people, am especially prone to impetuous exaggeration)- Trilogy Of Terror is one of the foremost examples of single-minded, sinewy, red-hot, riff-slinging PUMMEL in the annals of heavy history. Unfortunately, the band found it hard to maintain the momentum generated by Trilogy Of Terror and issued a spectacularly underwhelming sophomore effort the following year, a capable, but ultimately workmanlike platter redolent of all the noxious clichés of post- Grim Reaper/Mad Max heavy metal- corny choruses and an intoxicant-imbibing, party vibe that was far removed from the sneering, urban menace of the debut demo. The band disbanded rather unceremoniously following the 1984 demo and as such remain highly vaunted in collector's circles but largely ignored amongst the general metallic populace.

There is no need to delve into a treatise on reformations- most of you share my sentiments on the regrouping of various "cult'' outfits, most of which should remain content with their status as footnotes in metallic history. Any skepticism regarding this particular reunion, however, is resolutely dispersed and dismissed with the opening notes of “The Executioner”, resurrected from that monumental 3-track slab that chiseled the name War Cry into history's tablets back in '83- Roar's voice is ABSOLUTELY as potent and propulsive as it was in '83, seething and snarling with a venomous spite that crackles and bubbles throughout the assorted re-recordings/new material. The addition of the original '83 demo merely affirms the gargantuan differences that surface between the band's two incarnations- everything on the '06 material sounds like it's being played by fucking TITANS, and the sheer heaviness of the original demo has been harnessed, distilled and AMPLIFIED for maximum effect. In all earnesty, and I'm sure this will be taken as heresy by some (I'm sorry, Speck!), but the re-recordings are so FIERCE and FOCUSSED here that I don't believe I will ever be seized by the whim to throw on the original again. The patented Chicago chug (pioneered and branded by Trouble, War Cry and Witchslayer then appropriated by everyone from Death Strike to Devastation) is here in full effect- simple, yet savagely phrased chunky riffing that seizes you by the throat and THROTTLES you till your breath expires.

Trouble's first demo is a reasonable reference point, though War Cry have a far more streetwise, urban sound, attitude and spunk that bears the distinct stench of NWOBHM stalwarts like Savage, Jaguar, the first two Tygers Of Pan Tang, Tank, Weapon and especially Holocaust. In many senses, War Cry's philosophy is one shared by the likes of Bonded By Blood, Overkill, Kill ‘Em All, Fuckin' Death, Heavy Metal Maniac, Filth Hounds Of Hades, The Nightcomers, Amnesty - this is honest, unapologetic HEAVY METAL with a homicidal quality that suggests barroom brawls, motorcycle gangs and streetfights. Lean, sinewy and unforgiving, all the 2006 material is worthwhile save for perhaps certain sections of “The Church Inc.”, which veer a bit too much towards Dimebag Darrell territory (I'm profoundly allergic to pinch harmonics) for my liking. “The Blind Leading The Blind” is TREMENDOUS, a fist-pumping, adrenaline-injected beast accented by one of the HEAVIEST sounding kick drum sounds I've heard in some time, while “RIP You To Shreds” is pregnant with the malevolent, yet diabolically simple riffing that War Cry have asserted as their trademark. These are songs that declare their intent from the very outset- to topple the head off your bloody shoulders. These re-recordings are far more spirited than certain similar endeavors (Jag Panzer's “Decade Of The Spiked Bat” comes to mind), and while they do not present new tangents on existing material (in the way that Sacred Oath, for instance, did with A Crystal Vision), the ENERGY and SOUND of these updated classics more than justify the band's endeavors.

Unfortunately, the band have chosen to stuff the CD with three rather unnecessary fillers- two radio edits that are fundamentally indistinguishable from the originals and a rather redundant outro. Tacked on to it all, though, is a somewhat interesting novelty, the instrumental “St Valentine's Day Massacre”, a mélange of assorted riffs of varying quality. All in all, the fact that three of the greatest songs in US metal history have been re-recorded alone makes this CRUCIAL listening for all devotees of hellacious heavy metal. Buy it, I beseech you!

October 14th, 2006