WARCRAB is a death/sludge band from the UK that formed in 2009.  'The Howling Silence' is their fourth full length album, in addition to an EP released in 2014. WARCRAB's previous albums were might fine examples of violent, extreme death/sludge/doom.  Although that style is still on display in a big way here, it has progressed and opened up quite a bit.  Now they include more up tempo death metal elements amongst the sludgework. As impressive as that is, however, what really grabs me about this album is how great and doomy a lot of the riffs are.  Although the music is always heavy, they often settle into an old school doom sound and let the riffs just jam the hell out. Sometimes it is even fuzzed and psychedelic.  Combine these elements with more moments of pure death metal rage, and what we have is an album of highly infectious music that manages to be catchy despite the extremity.

'Orbital Graveyard,' opens the album with a hard double punch of groovy, pummeling riffs and drumming that matches it head on.  By the time the vocals kick in after about thirty seconds, my body is already exhausted from the beatdown.  The bass slaps too, a constant stand out that supplies a low end while remaining interesting in its own right.  The rapid fire assault that culminates with a guitar solo near the final moments of the song is icing on the cake. 'Black Serpent Coils,' is such a fantastic song!  The opening bass lines are wonderful and lead into a psychedelic moment before exploding in a huge doom segment that sounds like SABBATH and PENTAGRAM on steroids.  All the steroids.  I cannot keep my head from banging when I play this song.  It gets more and more aggressive as the minutes kick by until a face melting solo bursts through and the song reaches its zenith-this one ends in a huge death metal bang!

And then we get to one of my favorite songs on the album- 'As The Mourners Turn Away.'  You know what's wrong with this song?  Absolutely nothing.  The intro is, well, mournful, and when it explodes with a scream and a dropping of riffs made from pure lead, chills go up my spine.  This nine minute dirge is just melancholic enough to satisfy even the most cynical of metalheads but that guitar tone never forgets the band is here for blood. And once again, an absolute stunner of a solo arrives and changes the game once again.  The lead work on this album is truly special. The final song is the epic title track 'Howling Silence' and it just might be the best damn song this band has written so far.  From the bass lines and drums that open the song to the changing of tempos throughout...this song is just exactly what this band is all about.  After a hugely satisfying guitar solo, the song goes into a clean section that is just as depraved as their more abrasive moments.

'The Howling Silence' is an impressive album that sees the band trimming their fat and making a much more focused product.  The result is an extreme metal album that effectively combines death and doom/sludge with a massive, groovy sound that is truly next level for the band.  Even if bands release an album that is their best, it doesn't always grow or expand their sound.  With this album, WARCRAB have truly expanded everything they have to offer and found their true selves.