Reviewed by Greg Sammons

The great thing about Facedown Records is that almost every new band they sign gets to release a CD on Strikefirst and if they're good enough they get promoted to Facedown. It's a great system. However every so often a band comes along and gets signed straight to Facedown. This happened most recently with the Nodes Of Ranvier and Bloodlined Calligraphy. In my opinion the same should have happened with War Of Ages. This really is a stellar release. It kicks off in such great style too; the intro track actually has a meaning/point to it. It's a sample of renowned spiritual teacher Brennan Manning saying "The biggest cause of atheism is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and deny him with their lifestyle" (first heard on a dc Talk album). Not only does that beautifully set the mood for the rest of the album, but it is just gagging for a full metal onslaught with lyrics that just pump you up to go do something about your faith and life! War Of Ages have produced some great guitar solos, this recording really does favour the guitars, to the detriment of the drumming that hardly gets heard. The vocals are in your face and the lyrics are just incredible. It is wonderfully equal in positivity and intensity - encouraging us to the max. This metalcore outfit have met the standard set by the sacred forbearers, As I Lay Dying, and set the standard for bands to come. Surely one of the best hard music debut albums of the year.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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