Extermination Order, it would seem, are a five piece from all over the place (California, Germany, Iceland). They cite influences such as early Amon Amarth, Edge of Sanity, and crucially, Bolt Thrower.

I have always been puzzled why Bolt Thrower, (one of my favourite bands of all time) never get the same amount of bands paying homage to them as other bands of the same era. There are entire genres and sub-genres inspired by the earlier works of Carcass; there are acolytes and adherents to the Morbid Angel sound and there are hordes of grindcore bands that essentially ape the sound of Napalm Death. Consequently, whenever I get a record that claims to be influenced by the midlands based war-mongers, I take a keen interest.

First track “Siege of Ascalon” comes straight out of the speakers sounding like an off-cut from Amon Amarth’s “Versus the World” album. It has all the component parts; the guitar melodies, the hoarse but understandable vocals and the atmosphere. Things get more interesting for me on “Cadmean Victory” that has that unmistakeable Bolt Thrower-esque intro, before settling into a head-nodding mid-pace tempo.

“An Iron Shroud”, weighing in at around six minutes, is the epic of the collection, and really does sound (improbably) like a cross between Edge of Sanity and Bolt Thrower. “Anon we are Fallen” does have somewhat more of its own personality, bringing to mind the heads-down riffing and vocal assault reminiscent of, say, Hail of Bullets, but with a more insistent, straight ahead approach.

Closer “Siege of Power” is a cheeky little cover to finish with, being a filthy death-metal version of the Napalm Death classic back from the “Scum” era.

…and there you have it, five tracks from a new band. The production is crisp and punchy, if occasionally some of the detail is hard to pick out in the busier moments. It’s certainly possible to pick out the various influences within this EP, but the task next will be to impose more of their own character on the next release. As it is, fun.

(7/10 Chris Davison)

https://war-anthem-records.bandcamp.com/album/the-siege-of-ascalon