The first noticeable difference between Boris The Blade’s first album The Human Hive and its follow up Warpath, is that the second is a lot clearer. That dark, brutal all out pummelling claustrophobia of their debut has been replaced by a clarity that better shows off just how technical these guys are. Still ridiculously heavy, Warpath has a cleaner and crisper sound which accentuates the band’s math-metal/death metal/slam metal intricacies.
Warpath is a breakneck blitzkrieg of constant, rapid sheer force like its predecessor, and like its predecessor it’s a half hour or so slab of all out heaviness and sonic violence. There are enough periods of relief from the assault dotted throughout the album, but you just know the kick to the face will be harder when the heaviness kicks in again. There’s not much missing from this album at all, all of the tracks are different enough to stave off that same feeling that can come with this sound, and it’s a short enough record to get through without getting overwhelmed by the monstrous sound. There’s also a couple of guest vocal appearances on the album which add a bit of variety to the vocal side of things.
4 stars
Siege Records
Reviewed by Paul S Taylor