Album Description

Diminished Fifth Records is pleased to have the honour of releasing ‘The Music of Artisanship & War: Volume I’ a 17 song Compilation CD which was created with the intentions of presenting the best heavy music within the East Coast of Canada.

Reviews

Earshot Online Diminished Fifth Records is the perfect name for a metal label; the diminished fifth is also known as the devil's note (the intro of "Black Sabbath" is a classic example), and was actually banned by the churches for being too cool for public consumption. The metal on this compilation, Artisanship & War, is full of the devil's note at every turn, alongside many other tonalities of darkness. The 17-song CD highlights some of the best metal from the Canadian East Coast. Terrabomb's discordant double guitar harmonies and odd-time blast-beats immediately kick the collection into overdrive. Chara's "Woman Is A Danger Cat" intersperses churning, heavy groove with Slayer-esque parallel trills, a vocal sound that (suitably) brings images of vicious cougars to mind, and even a "whoo!" for good measure! Although the overall vibe of Artisanship & War is dark and hardcore (Good Lookin Out, Rusted Dawn and the high precision of Bound In Human Flesh are standouts), the neo-classical influence busts through in a few spots here and there as well, such as Dischord's "Nuke Face", the triple-meter sections of "Goodbye Is When The Coffin Closes" by The Orchid's Curse, and the solo section of the Pariah track. "Pity Parade" by Huge, probably the most experimental track in the collection, sounds like machete-wielding clowns transforming into schizoid werewolves. The Gallactus track is particularly frickin' heavy. This compilation stretches in several metal directions at once - in fact, "I Wanna Love Death Forever" by War Pony basically boils down to good old rock 'n' roll! The CD is ripe with good moments, so it's tough to pick favourites. Metal is alive and well on the East Coast. Exclaim! Magazine While the majority of Maritime Canada is assumedly good natured and relaxed, there’s something brewing underneath the surface if the 17 acts here are any indication. A blend of black, thrash and death metal offered by the likes of Terratomb, Hellacaust, Gallactus, the Orchid’s Curse and more, these bands and songs are relentlessly furious to the point of aural tyranny. Nary a track on this premiere volume of muscular East coast monstrosities has a fault, which proves the ability of some of the country’s lesser-known purveyors of blast beats and meticulous hyperactive riffing. However, it also points out that they are disgustingly unacknowledged in a greater context. It only goes to show that we’ve been paying too much attention to jam bands and fiddle music while the undercurrent of disenchanted longhairs have blown the lid off their respective genre, or are about to. (Diminished Fifth)   The Metal Forge A myriad of genre sampling that really hits the spot. This compilation marks the second release (the first being debut album from metalcore fledglings The Orchid’s Curse) for recently established label Diminished Fifth Records. According to the label, the main objective behind Artisanship And War was to shed some light on both the quality and quantity of metal and heavy rock acts currently surfacing on Canada’s East Coast. And after a good listen, I can’t help but agree – there is definitely some talent on display here, and it certainly deserves recognition. From a genre point of view this release is pleasantly varied, featuring everything from melodeath and straight ahead thrash to metalcore and fuzz rock – which I think is a very necessary tool in helping to solidify a compilation album such as this. If Artisanship And War featured nothing but screamo and metalcore, it could hardly be said to truly represent an accurate sample of what Canada’s East Coast really has to offer. Production-wise the album shifts up and down a few gears, from fairly high standard of quality (Dischords’ Nuke face) to the reasonably low (Athymia’s Needle n’ Thread), which in reality can’t be helped when your compiling a multitude of different demo releases on the same album. All tracks are definitely listenable however; even those that are sub-standard in sound still give you a good idea of what the featured band is trying to convey. As far as the bands go, for the most part I found myself being quite excited by a number of acts - idly fantasizing as to exactly what heights some of them could reach with the proper motivation and adequate label/fan base support. Those that really stood out included: Good Looking Out (great example of early nineties-esque thrash), War Pony (fantastic fuzz rock), Chara (very original technical grind), Pariah (melodeath with a hint of old school) and Rusted Dawn (if Motorhead and Overkill had a child, this is probably what it would sound like). While there is nothing exceptionally bad on Artisanship and War, there are a few acts that come off sounding very unoriginal (The Orchid’s Curse) or slightly confused in regards to their musical direction (Athymia). The sound exhibited by these acts doesn’t necessarily bring the quality of the album down, it does however flag the need for the bands themselves to really get back to basics and better establish the music they are trying to create. On a whole, The Music Of Artisanship And War is an enjoyable compilation, especially if you’re tired of listening to what’s floating around in the mainstream at the moment – there’s just something about the rawness and power that a relatively unknown band’s demo provides that can’t be easily ignored. With any luck, this album will achieve its goal, and pump a new wave of talented and individual acts into the current metal scene. Moncton Times & Transcripts Need further proof that the East Coast music scene is made up of more than fiddles? Here it is. But be forewarned - your stereo might explode. Crashing, thunderous drums, vicious guitar riffs and larnyx-shredding vocals scream on this 17 track collection of tunes from some East Coast metal acts. This collection opens with Terratomb's "Windtears", a song played at break- neck speed. The bass strings very nearly snap and wrap around your neck, and the vocals sound roughly what you'd expect evil to sound like if evil could speak. Gallactus is next, the band's Sabbathy stoner riffs rocking the joint up a bit more. Orchid's Curse, fresh off releasing its debut record is here on one of this collection's catchiest tunes, "Goodbye Is When The Casket Closes". War Pony are here with a punkish rocker "I Wanna Love Death Forever". A catchy tune, but the band stands out like a sore thumb here. It's not as heavy as the rest of the songs on this disc, and you can actually make out the lyrics. It sticks out, but perhaps it's just a break from the onslaught. Dischord's "Nuke Face" features some good guitar work and catchy riffs. This collection certainly won't be for everyone, but if you like pulverizing metal, you'll find a goldmine right here in the Maritimes.