Augmented Chaos: Bare Bone and Brutal
Bare Bone and Brutal
Augmented Chaos Album Review
by Boris Lee
Over the past few weeks (except for the Ozzy Osbourne review) I have reviewed a fashion of metal music I consider, “Millennial Metal.” This style of music took time for me to adapt to, and if you go back into the recent Symptom of the Metalverse archives, you’ll find my reviews of Mister Misery and Davey Suicide, explaining how I have come to appreciate new metal music.
However, with all the new-fashioned metal music, it was a nice reprieve to come across the latest release from Augmented Chaos, World of Pain, which is a bare bone old-school metal mosh monster.
“Casualties of War,” kicks the album off with a track fade in reminiscent of old school eighties traditional metal, where shredding set the pace for the storyteller to come. The song boasts solid tempo changing musicianship along with shredding guitars from J Patrick McCosar, a foundation to the frantic energy from bassist Chris Chapman and drummer Dave Manker, and old-school vocal styling from Augie Madrigal. Augmented Chaos carries this creative cacophony throughout World of Pain.
“Realm of the Tyrant,” switches things up slightly with more intense tempo changes and carries more of a power metal feel, ala Manowar in whip-lashing ferocity.
Interesting album positioning for “Witching Hour,” track number three on the album, as the power of three flows within the ways of the witch. This song proves how much a difference a good tempo change will do for a nasty guitar riff, as the opening guitar hammer-ons and pull-offs are played over a brewing drum beat that once it hits a boiling tempo, brings on the recipe for headbanging magic.
It’s been a while since I have heard a solid, no gimmicks, straight ahead in your face, traditional metal album. Keeping suit with the winning hand served up thus far by Augmented Chaos is the title track of the album, “World of Pain.” The song brings the beast beat to the pit, and hammers out a nice little bass solo from Chris that bridges the first third of the song to the faster tempo of the rest of the tune.
Closing out the musical offerings from Augmented Chaos is a haunting heavy hitter titled, “The Wraith.” As on the rest of the album, the musicianship is the story here.
Augmented Chaos presented an All Killer No Filler horn raisin’ record with “World of Pain.” They do a good job creating metal music with an old-school vibe, while not sounding dated.
With music like this mixed in with the more mainstream sounding Millennial Metal that gets most of the attention these days, there’s plenty of metal music to keep the pit pulse pounding for Metalheads of any make and design everywhere.
I give “World of Pain,” 4.5 out 5 raised horns. If you dig traditional metal music in the style of Overkill, Augmented Chaos belongs on your shuffle list.
To learn more about Augmented Chaos, follow the links below.