Genre: Black Metal

01 Stokrat vrhnu stin
02 Mezi svety
03 Srazka s vekem
04 Scientia
05 Sen o Master's Hammer
06 Dlouha zila
07 Kovy odjinud
08 Vykoupeni (Master's Hammer cover)

War for War is a one-man black metal band based out of the Czech Republic that seems to buck any sort of pre-conceived notions of what an eastern European solo act of this genre should sound like. There's no obsession into sounding raw, evil or misanthropic. Devoid of the general cliches that cling to the genre, the main motive in the songwriting seems to be to produce headbanging black metal with catchy guitar phrasing. War for War is cut of the same cloth that bore bands like Barathrum and Tormentor; bands that placed the almighty riff above all else. There's no fear of palm-muting and some of the progressions are damn upbeat sounding. The beginning of "Mezi svety" borders on an almost folk bounciness that might throw the unadventurous for a bit of a loop. The album's production manages to be clear yet ballsy, guitars sounding nasty but each note is discernible. The vocals crackle ever slightly but never become obscured by the instrumentation. The drumming doesn't play a huge part in the music, obviously programmed but never intrusive into the songs. Keyboards are used throughout to add additional dreamlike melodies but the band's sole member Lord Morbivod completely sidesteps the chasm that divides raw and symphonic black metal. The point I'm driving at is it seems that either War for War is a well-thought out concept aimed at filling a void in black metal or this guy is simply doing whatever he wants without a care about fitting in anywhere within the spectrum of all that is grim and unholy. My bet is on the latter considering good riffs can't be forced and whole thing is just so refreshingly pure. Not in a "so pure... so cold" way, but in its untarnished catharsis of the artist's vision.

Thematically Morbivod draws inspiration from segmentation and mineral mining, something that might initially seem strange but considering its apparent local significance it makes sense. Besides, there's not much else out there that's darker and more obscure than the deep underground. These themes blur into a nightmarish presentation that even manifests itself into narrative form on "Dlouha zila" (thankfully the lyrics have also been adeptly translated for English speakers to enjoy). There's also a joyous reverence for experimental black metallers Master's Hammer, a group that (along with Root, another band that seems to hold some influence in War for War's sound) pioneered black metal for other Czech bands. The final track is a cover from the band and track five mentions both the group and one of thier members by name.

The accompanying artwork comprised of dark tunnels, cavernous mines and the like further bring the theme to the forefront. This release has a sense of purpose to it; Lord Morbivod is obviously making a statement and went as far as having an explanation to the band's departure from war-obsessed theme (take a look at the tracklisting for War for War's first demo) and into new territory. It should however be stated that the band's prior releases shouldn't be ignored. There was still a signature sound, a beacon to War for War's talent. This signature sound has been forged further and the result is an album that manages to sound different, exciting and inspiring. A highly recommended release to those who acknowledge that black metal has a place far beyond just Norway, Master's Hammer and Root fans that want to hear who's plucked the torch and gone running with it in the Czech Republic and the old-schoolers who think pre-Viking Bathory is just as mandatory as the later works.