American thrash metal band from Virginia Beach, Virginia formed in 1983.
specially mastered for vinyl by Patrick W. Engel/ Temple of Disharmony, 100% original sound, no remaster!
“…you feel the bullet enter your throat, drop to the ground on your blood start to choke…”
There was little surprise when the album Ordered to Kill released by Virginia natives At War had the three of them on the front cover out in the sticks armed and camouflaged like they’re looking for an invigorating game of paintball. The war shtick was their thing, and with an ongoing argument of which is the first war metal band, At War would be right there firing into the sky, proclaiming that if not the originators, they’re one of the early forces to use the concept at length. While I never had a problem with the guns n’ glory reverie, it’s the band’s relatively lackluster style I’ve never been sold on.
Not a bad band, At War had its heart in the right place with its debut, but most of the time Ordered to Kill comes off apprehensive and controlled like a normally well-behaved kid looking around for witnesses before stomping a flower. Much of the pizzazz speed metal can easily muster seems debilitated in many of these eight tracks, starting with the title cut and “Dawn of Death”, the pair of tracks commencing the lp, and is owed in part to the lyrical verses being sung along with the rhythm in a “Fight Fire With Fire” style except without the apocalyptic anxiety. While the vocals of Paul Arnold are fairly poisonous and not the least bit shrieky, they’re relatively bridled compared to the flaring vehemence of Dave Overkill of Destructor and the tree-splicing going on over in Razor. For “Capitulation”, the vox manages to find its own mind, but even with (or should I say because of) the passably memorable main rhythm, the spectrum of thrash where things get fiery is still a landscape or two away. “Mortally Wounded” leaps closer to the edge with more determination than many of its precursors, but after forty seconds the unchanging scary verse-pointless rhythm-scary verse-pointless rhythm conveyer belt, stuff can only one-dimensionally enliven things.
“Eat Lead” and “Rapechase”, the well-chosen songs for the Speed Metal Hell I and II compilations, are the most dominate of the bunch with the latter inching ahead with its quickly picked main riff and commanding chorus. “Ilsa (She-Wolf of the S.S.)” goosesteps into action with one of Hitler’s more popular speeches kicking it off, and while the main riff activity isn’t very noteworthy, the admissible chorus and most dizzying burst of speed the band has erupted with cashes in a little higher on the currency chart. Not last (actually the lead off of side two) or least, the cover of “The Hammer” is on the money, sounding like Motorhead with someone less distinct craning his neck at the mike while Lemmy sits at the bar.
The demo quality production is pretty consistent in New Renaissance’s playbook, and no doubt a beefier and bassier backbone would’ve spiced up the lp’s sneer. Even the mud from that river Paul’s standing in on the cover would’ve probably done something for it, but wouldn’t cake anymore imagination onto the spindles of songwriting. They’ll have to be happy bayoneting the enemy in the ear on the second shelf.