Guitarist Ben Kaiser would initially start his bad WoR as an escape from the rigors of playing offensive line at NC State University. He was finishing up his college career and needed an outlet from the pressures of the game. Things with the band became more serious by spring of 2019. By that time they had shared stages all up and down the southeastern United States with bands like UPONG A BURNING BODY, ATILLA and WARBRINGER. They had built up a reputation for forming aggressive riffs, melodic leads and bone-shattering breakdowns fueled by the captivating anti-authoritarian lyrics provided by vocalist Bobby Demoss. That summer of 2019, they signed with Bungalo Records. Together with bassist Philip Funderburk and seasoned drummer Hunter Crews they would go into the studio to record their debut with producer Joe Alonzo Potts with mixing and mastering provided by Shaun Singerling.

The Raleigh, North Carolina natives worked a long time to bring their debut "Prisoners" to the masses. It was originally reported to come out on March 13^th but was apparently delayed until August 7^th. It brings a lot of different flavors of metal to the table while still remaining rooted in groove metal, resulting in a bit of a mix of thrash, metalcore and even hardcore punk, especially in the drum patterns. You won't find any mind-blowing solos or lead sections but they still manage to sprinkle in some melodic bits from time to time. The focus here is on bringing in the heavy, groovy, gritty riffs with Demoss's powerful and in-your face vocals to fuel the metal fire.

Right off the bat, this band doesn't mess around and you know what you get from the opening aggression of "Kill You". Most tracks get right into the action and eschew any need for an intro. Demoss sounds like good mix of metalcore growls like LAMB OF GOD's RANDY BLYTHE to even some black metal-like screams at times. Their sparing use of dual guitar leadwork - mostly for atmosphere and melody and less for flashy solos - is always welcome from the SLAYER inspired slow, creepy guitar melodies in "VI Kings" and "Caged" to the aptly sounding 80s-ish squawking of "Sirens". They even have some IRON MAIDEN tinged lines in "Predator" and end with heavily reverberating tremolo picking ala Kerry King. The lyrics should not be ignored either and while some are quite simple both the subject matter of the short and brutal "T.G.S.O.A.T" and "Sirens" prove that more can be gleaned beyond the crunchy guitars and flawlessly executed drum patterns. I even enjoyed the cover of THE OFFPSRING's "Come Out and Play" fitting in with the lyrical themes of the album and featuring some rather impressive vocal prowess and clean articulation on the fast lines from Demoss. I'm also fairly sure there isn't a breakdown in the original but I love the creative personal stamp on a classic into one heavily syncopated last verse that sounds very different from the original. For a debut, it's really impressive and I feel genuinely bad that they aren't able to tour and get their music out more efficiently.