Worldwide Hypnotize

After forming in Finland back in 2001, Re-Armed put out a whopping 6 demos before going on the DIY-path of recording this, their debut album last year. As of writing this review, it seems that they are still searching for a record label for this batch of hard-driving hate. So take the “release year” for what its worth at this point. The band’s sound contains the kind of thrashy, slightly-melodic death metal that could recall the likes of Soilwork from their earlier years (no cleanly sung choruses to be found here) or maybe even At The Gates while also providing some grooves á la Machine Head or even Fear Factory when the rhythmic elements are bent a little more out of shape. The string section and drums plow through the material with commendable force, even though I feel that the potential of two guitarists could’ve been used more fully with harmonizing. In return I could add that the drumming is quite awesome throughout with great little fills to the usual double bass patterns and the like. Singer Jouni Matilainen has a nice array of aggressive vocal stylings in his disposal from guttural roars to a more straight-up throaty bark. The song material is mostly as intense as one would expect from the rapid fire of Natural Backlash and the title track to slower numbers like Feardrops. Deathtrap brings a guitar lead-driven mid-section that is notably more melodic than the rest of the album and I feel it works very well – something the band could be well-served to expand on. The Bridge That Leads To Nowhere adds the aforementioned slight tech-flavours while King Authority (Honour To Serve) ups the intensity even more to a vibe that almost strikes grindcoreish to me, at least until the considerably groovy chorus. The production is stellar, especially for a self-financed album. Extra love for the hard-thudding drum sounds. Overall, Re-Armed is a band that has clearly paid its dues to amass great technical skills and they utilize it to serve many stylings of extreme metal on Worldwide Hypnotize. It feels like they’re still searching for that exact sound of their own, but the great potential is very evident.