Greetings tech fiends, it's that time of the week again. Before we dive into today's column, here's the usual weekly reminder that if you're looking to find even more sick bands, you can do so here.
I've got a sick premiere for you all today from my homies in Hammer Of Dawn. We're launching "Berserker" today which in addition to its mind-boggling performances from the band's members, features some great guest vocals from Archspire's vocalist Oli Peters and Narcotic Wasteland/ex-Nile shredder (and vocalist) Dallas Toler-Wade. The song comes from the band's upcoming EP, Uzil. Which is set for release on September 23.
The Gears Of War video game lore-inspired band has only been around since last year and some of you may have caught our premiere of "The Palace Of The Kantus" from their debut EP, Ketor. When you factor in that their vocalist is in Decrepit Birth and their bassist is in Aborted, they're already sort of a supergroup in my mind. For their new EP, they've added Francesco Ferrini from Fleshgod Apocalypse who adds inspired symphonic sorcery throughout the entire release!
So it likely goes without saying that if you see a song with Archspire's vocalist as a guest, you know it's going to be a fast as fuck and demented track. Something that "Berserker" is all about, as this is probably the most Origin and Archspire-influenced I've heard them sound like. At the same time, the song is often incredibly heavy and disgustingly brutal as well. The vocals from everyone are nuts, the song features numerous sick riffs and an incredible guitar solo, mind-rending bass playing, absolutely berserk (ban pun intended) drumming, and the symphonic layers from Francesco are fucking epic.
For a bit more commentary on the song, vocalist Mac Smith says: "Berserker is by far our fastest and heaviest effort to date. We wanted to create the most extreme version of our sound that we could possibly muster. As we head towards a signature sound of our own, we took the opportunity to create a composition that would stand out from the rest. With rapid-fire blasts, technical riffage, and speed vocals, we were able to craft a song with a mix of new and old. With the help of an added orchestral element from Francesco Ferrini of Fleshgod Apocalypse and a double vocal feature from Oliver Rae Aleron Peters (Archspire) and Dallas Toler-Wade (Narcotic Wasteland, ex-Nile)!"
It's already an impressive feat for Hammer of Dawn to churn out five killer new songs just one year after their last EP. To do so and effectively level up as a band in that short of a timeframe is a much rarer feat. Somebody needs to sign these guys. If you like what you're hearing, pre-orders for Uzil can be placed through Bandcamp. You can follow Hammer of Dawn on Facebook and Instagram.
