Review of "Voyeur" by War From A Harlots Mouth

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http://www.wfahm.com/

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1. Origin

2. Vertigo

3. H(a)unted

4. Terrifier

5. Of Fear and Total Control

6. Temple

7. The Black Lodge

8. Beyond Life and Death

9. To the Villains

10. Krycek

11. Scopophobia

12. Catacombae

13. Epiphany

14. Dolph Lundgren (bonus Will Haven cover)

15. To the Villains (bonus demo version)

With their fourth full-length “Voyeur”, WAR FROM A HARLOTS MOUTH continue on their outrageous course charted on previous albums by pushing even further into the musical unknown. The Germans ride a maelstrom of sound fusing shattered pieces and fractions of Extreme Metal, Sludge, Core, Jazz and other elements into new shapes with ultimate complex drumming, grinding and booming bass-lines as well as intricately shredding guitars and hoarse vociferation. The result has been termed Math Core or Tech Metal, but these simplifying terms fail to convey the full picture. WAR FROM A HARLOTS MOUTH were founded in Berlin late 2005 by Simon, Paul and vocalist Steffen, who soon completed their line-up with Daniel and Filip in order to perform live. Since then WAR FROM A HARLOTS MOUTH have played over 400 shows including prestigious festivals such as With Full Force. Shortly after the release of their first album “Transmetropolitan” (2007), Steffen was replaced by former THE OCEAN frontman Nico. Their outstanding debut gained much critical acclaim, which was topped by each following release “In Shoals” (2009) and “MMX” (2010). With their exceptional musicianship the Germans were not just convincing the critics but also able to create a huge fan-base. Now “Voyeur” shows WAR FROM A HARLOTS MOUTH at their most mature so far and adding new dimension with the aid of classical strings played by composer John Strieder and a guest appearance from Arkadi Zaslawski (DIORAMIC). Let all conventions be broken!

This album starts off with a short violin intro in the form of the first track, “Origin.” It was pretty eerie the way the rest of the strings came in. I’ve heard of War From A Harlots Mouth but I don’t ever remember listening to them before amd I highly regret not listening to them as they are all sorts of interesting. “Vertigo” brings a mix of sludge, chug, and weird lead riffs that was highly enjoyable. The next track, “H(a)unted,” is a short forty second burst math metal fun. The guitars are really catchy on “Terrifier” and the fact they are hard to follow makes them great. The breakdown on this track is pretty good, as the chugs had a weird tempo to them. These guys are very talented in their ways of making listeners not know what to expect and it shows on “Of Fear and Total Control.” The guitars are all over the place, but with perfection, making for an entertaining listen.

“Temple” brings chugs and double kicks which are undeniably epic. The lead bits on this track, accompanying the out of control rhythm is really awesome. Everything about “The Black Lodge” is amazing. Even the drums are hard to follow at times and there is a great mix of odd tempo riffs as well as great mellower lead riffs. Another great violin and other string instrument break, before heading back into the insanity of the next track in the form of “Beyond Life and Death.” The technical chugs on “To the Villains” are really impressive and the drum rolls on this track are nice. The lead guitar bits are really weird sounding the way they are laid out. “Krycek” is the longest track on the album at almost five minutes. The lead guitar on this track is great, especially when accompanied by the rest of the band. The riffs on this are laid out weird with chugs and lead parts throughout, making for a great mix of weird.

Sludgy chugs and technical bits make for a nice combination on the next track, “Scopophobia.” The vocals on this are more diverse as it is the first time I think I’ve heard some clean singing from these guys about half way through the track. Blast beats are plentiful on the first part of “Catacombae.” This track is more in your face than the rest and the mix between brutality, technical parts, and a mellow violin break make this track well rounded in its delivery. It is a great way to go out being the last actual track. “Epiphany,” is another short violin and strings track and the last not bonus track, so I’m led to believe it is the outro. I couldn’t find a decent version of the original “Dolph Lundgren” by Will Haven, but the one I did find was bad quality, so I haven’t much to compare. I am led to believe this is a good cover, but I may be lying to you, it sounds great nonetheless. The last track is the demo version of “To the Villains,” which you already know my opinion of, so you don’t need it again.

War From A Harlots Mouth bring a very interesting style of playing that is much akin to the likes of Meshuggah. Their technical chugs and weird tempo changing make for a very entertaining time. I definitely recommend picking this up if you if you enjoy that style of playing.