Review: War-Head “Monuments of Fallacy” [Infernö Records]

For all those thrashers who are not in the mood for a long read, here’s the summary of War-Head – Monuments of Fallacy:

This is Sodom on horse steroids smuggled from Romania. Pick this shit up.

For the rest of you (all four); War-Head is something of a Croatian cult band, started in 2002. Despite Croatia and the Balkans in general are not the best location to have a band (especially metal) War-Head have an impressive resume of 4 albums, tours in Europe including gigs in Brazil with German thrash legends Tankard, Headhunter DC, Vulcano and Nervochaos.

The activity was steady until around 2017 when things got quiet with the steady trio line-up of Armageddon. There were talks about the new album but in long three years nothing was happening. But out of the blue, a new War-Head album launched in surprise attack on Inferno Records.

And what an assault it is.

Monuments of Fallacy is easily their best work to date. Plan or not, their longer hiatus helped them in the long run. The album sounds vicious and very energetic. Something that even young thrash acts can’t reach this level. All three members are at their best here: Pipers drums never sounded so relentless and massive, Vladimir’s guitar riffs and solos all over the place and vicious, and Dario’s vocals never sounded angrier.

That much is evident from their first track Creatures from the Depth with the militaristic introduction and holds you by the throat all the way. Same goes to the songs like My Scars Will Speak and Apocalyptic Thunder which they have released as a promo video.

Unlike, their previous records which songs can sometimes be predictive in their straightforward rhythm, here the tracks are all over the place with tempo changes and surprise solos but still not going overboard and retaining their sound.

Personal favorite is definitely their title track, but to be honest the first half of the album is a bomb, no pun intended.  The second half is as good but you have the feeling that the album is losing steam and sometimes a song abruptly ends with no real reason, although they could breathe for an additional half a minute with no problem.

The initial line up of the album are only three people, but the guests here are fucking legion, and a very impressive one: Aleksandra Stamenkovic of Jenner, Jérôme Point-Canovas of Loudblast, Max Mayhem of Evil Invaders, Arnd Klink of Darkness, Andy Gutjahr of Tankard(!) and a dozen intoxicated vocalists and guitarists from the local scene of Osijek, Croatia in Deathrash Armageddon. I know that because I’m in that fucking track.

On the production side, Piper is again behind the album as producer and same as with the songs, it’s his best work in War-Head. Everything is right in its place. The guy worked as a producer in numerous bands and albums and it definitely shows here.

After a longer silence, War-Head is back playing Deathrash for Armageddon Millennium and their detonation is louder than ever.

Recommended.

You can buy Monuments of Fallacy on Amazon – https://amzn.to/371ew1H