Band: War for War Album: Kovy Odjinud Label: Naga Productions Rating: 8/10 Website: http://warforwar.wz.cz/hlavni.html BUY NOW!

War for War is a little known band from the Czech Republic. Lone member, Lord Morbivod, who also plays in Trollech, handles all the instrumentation including growls, guitars - clean and distorted - bass, drums, programming and samples. Lord Morbivod chose a fitting title for his band's third recording, "Kovy odjinud." This title expresses an album of Eastern European flavor, as does the music Morbivod creates. Morbivod sings and writes song titles and lyrics exclusively in his native tongue. Because Morbivod is such a proud, Czech black metal heathen, he also created this album as a tribute to the pioneering Czech black metal group, Master's Hammer. "Casting a Hundred Shadows" (all tracks are written in Czech but have translations) begins with a programmed, synthetic rhythm that slowly bleeds into black metal riffing and spooky keyboards. The beginning program was of concern because of its danceable quality, but Morbivod soon rectifies that moment. The rest of the album is great and gains momentum near the mid-way point. "Between the Worlds" sounds like an ancient Czech who has landed in the future, and somewhere in his travels joins a metal band on stage at a red neck bar. "Kovy..." is an album full of different vibes, many created through keyboards. Morbivod creates a haunting backdrop through his use of choir keys on "Clash with an Age" and "Dream about Master's Hammer" (told you this band loves Master's Hammer). In the tradition of Master's Hammer, many of the tracks, especially in the latter half of the album, contain explosive, programmed percussion, like a synthetic kettle drum. Also in the tradition of Master's Hammer, Morbivod looks to experiment with conventional compositions, often exemplified in the random placements of clean-toned guitars. The duration of the album seems to lead up to the Master's Hammer cover, "Vykoupeni." This track is quite similar to the rest of the album, but the guitars assume a rawer edge, and some trippy effects accent Morbivod's middle-range snarl. There is something about Eastern bloc black metal that never disappoints. War for War's "Kovy okjinud" does not buck this trend. Although the production is quite clean (some purists frown upon this) the mystical atmosphere, sharp guitar riffs, and spiritual weirdness make this an interesting listen. Master's Hammer fans take note. Darren Cowan Back to Reviews