Top Notch Anger

Fans of extreme music, rejoice! Wartorn has answered your prayers for a truly heavy release to start out 2013. Their new album, Iconic Nightmare, is nine songs of pure unrelenting crushery that combines so many subgenres of hardcore, metal, and punk that it will leave even the most discerning listener satisfied. Effortlessly blending Nails’ reminiscent hardcore, blackened crust, faster doom, and death metal inspired wailing riffs, this is the aggression filled punch that we’ve been waiting to come out this year. While maybe not the most original or innovative take on the sound, Iconic Nightmare sets out to fill you with rage and a dash of anguish, and boy does it deliver.

The record starts out with the title track, which provides an onslaught of anger and sirens, letting the listener know exactly what they signed up for by purchasing this record — nothing but loudness and hate, mixed with insane talent and served just right. It is always difficult to fit a slower, doomier instrumental track into a non stop scream-fest, but penultimate track “Betrayal” provides a break in the rage before getting one last punch in. And with its final track, “Burial Ground,” Iconic Nightmare ends just as angrily as it began, leaving you feeling simultaneously exhausted and enraged, ready to take on the rest of the cold winter with fists flying.

With as much soul-crushing heaviness as you can fit into twenty-five minutes, Wartorn’s Iconic Nightmare is a perfect pick for anyone looking for their personal soundtrack to the apocalypse, or perhaps an intense workout. With flawlessly aggressive vocals and catchy instrumentals that highlight the skill of the band, Wartorn has tied together a handful of styles of extreme music into a record that everyone can enjoy. A definite must-buy for folks who want to see what’s going on in hardcore and heavy music in general, and want to see it done right.