ALBUM REVIEW: Chainsword – Blightmarch

Polish old school Death Metal mercenaries CHAINSWORD are here to deliver their debut full length album. Out now via Godz Ov War Productions.

Pummelling right into things with an obvious homage to the mid-tempo blasting and cutting-edge riffs of Bolt Thrower, something reflected aesthetically as well as sonically, Chainsword immediately hit hard with an impressive first impression. Grave-splitting vocals join the tomb-rupturing instrumentals to command a gadarene charge into abyssal war. Plentiful meaty hooks add a biting groove while the punishing brutality relies only on the ferocity of the musicians themselves whom do not require particularly low tunings or huge amounts of distortion, favouring the option of letting the solidness of the riffs and drumming speak for themselves as the vocals are putridly spewed through the mix. Speaking of the mix, this record has a legitimate and old school feel that is huge yet simplistic, not compressing the hell out of the sound nor adding flashy and obnoxious elements. So far I am thoroughly impressed and in high hopes of what lies ahead on this record.

Though clearly sitting most comfortably in the mid-paced realm of chaos, Chainsword have enough changes and dynamics to not feel like some cheap worship band, though wearing their influences on their (record) sleeves quite literally, this band has more than enough personality of its own all the same. Doomy sections add a more funereal atmospheric side to things while a bestial march into battle is never far away to lay an obliterating array of sonic artillery upon us. D-beats and thrashy punches swing from the murk and manage to catch right back onto the hook of flesh-stripping brutality, the old school way. The drum work is pulverising and when laid beneath such a solid arsenal of riffs with fantastic growling and screaming from the vocalist used in a glorious balance, this thing packs punches from all angles and never becomes predictable. The soloing is used minimally but when it does appear, we are treated to some blistering lead melodies that add a frenzied layer to the crushing rhythmic battery. This album continues to be truly impeccable in execution.

Though the overall mood of apocalyptic warfare runs rampant on the album, there are plenty of nuances and complexities that give it this brooding and sombre touch where needed to accentuate the barbaric aggression and heaviness while showing maturity and dynamic tastefulness. Whether blasting at high-speeds, slowing it to a doomy crawl or pounding away in the middle, Chainsword are consistently delivering a stream of unending high quality Death Metal that is so pungent and mighty that I struggle to see what one could dislike about it. Perhaps not the most innovative or experimental band, but they do what they set out to do in the highest quality and with plenty of their own character that I hope to see developed on future releases. Until then, this debut is a titan of bludgeoning brilliance that definitely sets the bands career off with a bang.

A monolithic record that may set out to worship the likes of Bolt Thrower in quite an obvious homage and does so superbly. Whether intentionally or not, there is so much more Chainsword’s music that sets them out as something unique and quite fantastic in the Death Metal underground, so if you dig the old school Death Metal ways with plenty of grit but superb musicianship, check this one out.