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Battalion > Into Harms Way > Reviews
Battalion - Into Harms Way

What OZ metal needs!! - 95%

controlled_bleeding, February 22nd, 2005

This 9 Track ballistic assault will have you donning your helmet and out on the battle field in no time. The four piece ensemble from Wollongong, New South Wales have produced what I consider to be a great CD.

Into Harms Way on Asphyxiate Recordings slowly introduces you to the battle with a subtle, soothing WWI soundscape. A minute later the war begins with the title track. Into Harms Way. Sounding a lot more full and complete than it did on the previously released Soldiers of Evil tape and Pestalentia Australis compilation. Resurfacing from the demo is the track Devastated By Artillery re-recorded and sounding as brutal as ever.

The remaining tracks on the CD are just as enthralling, if not better. Stalemate in the Trenches is a personal favourite. It has been composed very well with some brilliant guitar sections. Amidst the Allied Advance the albums shortest track has a more thrashy feel to it. The track becomes interesting with the bass guitar's sound regularly being brought in front of the guitars. Dead Mans Ridge has a great acoustic section in the middle of the song. An eye of the storm so to speak, and just a great piece of metal. The CD rounds itself off nicely with the final two epic tracks, The Last Dawn and Rememberance of a Great War.

The production of the CD is very good. It has quite a raw feel to it, and Battalion have come along way since their initial demo. While this release is not strictly black metal by any means, it definitely has a blackened feel. You'll find excellent harmonies constructed by the two riflemen. Adam Jordan who mixed and engineered the CD in Main Street Studios Wollongong did a great job, everything stands out. The bass lines are full and prominent you don't even need to listen for them. The drumming is dominant, Into Harms Way features excellent use of crash and ride cymbals as well as pummeling double bass.

Something worth mentioning is that Battalion worked hard to make sure all the lyrics were historically accurate. So if anything this CD reinforces the struggles that our grand fathers and great grand fathers went through for our freedoms. Freedoms to make great heavy metal like this. So get out there and listen for yourself. If not at least head over to the Battalion web bunker and download the samples files available. And don't forget to go and see Battalion when they're in your town or city.