Warchest has four members: Chris Pelaez sings and plays guitar, Patricio J. Pelaez plays the drums, JT Garcia plays bass, and Domingo Vial plays the lead guitar. They write, mix, and produce all of their own music, which is an awesome task. While it might be more difficult, it allows them to make sure they put out the sound that they want.
Warchest opens Aftershock with a song called "Aftershock." It has a solid, old-school thrash metal sound, almost like early Anthrax. The vocals are clear and the music is heavy, just like I like it. After the first song, I knew that I was going to enjoy the album. "Aftershock" leads into "The Entrance" which is a bit slower with more guitar solos. It really shows off their musical skill. The third song is called "Contradiction" and it is one of my two favorites on the album. I love the change in tempo between the chorus and the rest of the song. It’s very purposeful, so that you get the word "Contradiction" burned in your brain. I don’t know how metal drummers survive. It really sounds like they have 2 drummers at several points in the music.
In the middle of the album is a song called "Prelude," which is a short, pretty little instrumental. It leads directly into a slower song called "Let Me Down," which is my least favorite on the album. It’s a decent song, but it doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the album. I know bands like to vary sounds and such, but this particular song doesn’t seem to go well with the band’s overall sound. I do like how the sound flows from "Prelude" to "Let Me Down" though.
Number 8 is called "Mental Mess," which is a song that I think a lot of us can relate to at times in our lives. Along with "Contradiction," "Mental Mess" is on the top of the list for my favorite from the album. Next up is a song called "Army of Revolution." It feels just a bit different from the rest of the album, but not even enough that I can put my finger on it, but it is a good different. I like how it fits in with the rest of the album. The final song is called "Fear the Machine" and has a sound that is almost industrial like Fear Factory. I really love how Warchest matches the vocal sound to the music. When the music is heavier, the vocals are louder and angrier sounding. When the music is softer, the vocals are as well. The musicians in the band have a truly cohesive sound which you don’t always hear in bands. While it is not my favorite album, it is a very solid album. There’s nothing on it that really stands out as addictive, but other than "Let Me Down," there’s nothing that I don’t like as well. I really can’t wait to hear what their next album brings as Warchest has a very strong, cohesive sound that leads me to believe they have the talent to produce some truly amazing music.
