Album Review: War from a Harlots Mouth - 'MMX'

It should come as no surprise that the Germans have a certain angry streak in them. Should it? If ‘MMX’ is anything to go by there will be no unexpected protestations to suggest otherwise.

Throw out contemporary metalcore stigmas and generic musical preconceptions, this album deserves a ‘face value’ approach. One embraced on merit and virtue rather than bias. ‘MMX’ is capable, diverse and mixes well-planned ideas into an eleven track metal assault. Yes, the style and genre is overwhelmingly typical yet the approach in this instance does not pander to the standard. This oddball composite of straight and narrow ‘core’ chugging mixed with jazzy, technical and even death metal elements provides the lasting interest.

War from a Harlot’s Mouth displays an obvious proclivity for the heavy, fast and loud. Studio album number three is aggressive and insistent, mixing particular sub-genres into an eventual and predominant metalcore melting pot.

Today, metalcore might be a tired game but it is not a pointless one. It is hard to say whether this album is a progression and/or improvement on previous efforts but it is by no means a step backwards. There is no unnecessary M. Night Shyamalan genre twists here. ‘MMX’ delivers exactly what one expects from start to finish. That is, honest metal with a bit of variety, albeit still within a general musical frame.

‘MMX’ will not maintain much lasting impact, in the sense that after a few repeated listens everything the album can offer appears well represented, but for what it’s worth the first impression is nevertheless decent enough.

Opener ‘Insomnia’ jumps out of the gates with understated force, sounding similar to the more modern style of Aborted. While, ‘To Age of Obsolete’ and ‘The Polyglutamine Pact’ keep things in line through a heavy tone and fierce tuning. Conversely, ‘Sleep is the Brother of Death’ highlights the band’s range with an abstract and contrastive opening.

War from a Harlot’s Mouth greatest charm is the jazzy sections they juxtapose with an overt heavy tone. Where common metalcore frameworks suggest the cliché breakdown should be placed, WFAHM take a different tact often experimenting with divergent tempos and styles. If the band explored this more than what is already offered on ‘MMX’ the album would arguably be more impressive.

Some of the down-tuned nu-metal passages and lingering chugging could be done without, as some songs lean on the repetitive side of the spectrum. Overall though, good enough…

Certainly better than your run of the mill heavy release and probably one of metalcore’s better-constructed albums of 2010. Just how credible this compliment appears is purely up to the listener to decide.

1. Insomnia

2. To Age and Obsolete 

3. The Increased Sensation of Dullness

4. Sleep Is the Brother Of Death

5. The Polyglutamine Pact

6. Cancer Man

7. C.G.B. Spender

8. Sugarcoat

9. Spineless

10. Recluse MMX

11. Inferno III/VI