2008 - Century Media
By Phillip Smith; Written for FoundryMusic.com , July 6, 2009
Praises to the War Machine is the solo effort of Warrel Dane, lead singer
of Seattle band, Nevermore. Collaborating with Soilwork’s guitarist Peter
Wichers, and drummer Dirk Verbeuren, Dane has constructed a new heavy metal
opus. Praises to the War Machine doesn’t
just tap its needle into the heavy metal vein of decades past, but plunges that
sucker right in there. I definitely pick
up shreds of Black Sabbath, Ozzy, and Dio to name a few. And that’s not a bad thing.
First out of the gate, the
guitar-heavy and melodic “When We Pray”
drives home the point, which Dane sings ‘nothing ever changes when we
pray’. Other heavy tracks include, “Obey”
and “Equilibrium“. “Obey“, reminds me a
bit of Disturbed, and pounces upon the listener with vigorous guitar
riffs.
And lets not forget the
ballads. One in particular stands
out, “Your Chosen Misery”. This one seems a little out of place, when compared to the other tracks, as the vocals are contrastingly deep for the lion's share of this song.
The most interesting track
however, is a cover of Paul Simon’s “Patterns” from the 1965 album, The Paul
Simon Songbook. Danes version,
although tons heavier than the original, is still recognizable. Check out the original and then listen to
Dane’s version if you get a chance. And
definitely check this CD out.
