A.W.A.S., which stands for Acoustic War Against Satan, is a death metal band that hails from Germany. I understand the war against Satan part in their name, but I'm not so sure about the acoustic part since they play extreme metal. Oh well....
The band used to go by the name Torment, but has since changed their name. The band claims a sound influenced by Crimson Thorn, Metanoia, old Mortification, and Horde. However, I never really feel the Mortification influences. I do hear some Crimson Thorn, Metanoia, and some slight Horde influences. But musically and vocally this band reminds me more of a mix between Corpse and another German band, Acoustic Torment.
This EP, Time to Choose is fairly brutal with some nice crunch, some lightening fast riffing, and loads of double bass. Vocally is nothing all that special, but at least they mix it up between some low gutteral vocals, some higher growls, and a few blackish screams. Not really all that bad. The production could definitely use some help, but you can still crank it pretty loud and not harm your speakers.
Lyrically, the band does an average job. Some lyrics are well-written and some are pretty elementary and simple. However, they are all bold for Christ. Take the final lines in the song "Darkness": The sunrise breaks the darkness of the night/like rain in the desert His love is to my soul/He is my shield and mighty Saviour/No longer the evil is worthy to fear/He broke the chains and He'll guide me through/Now death will bring me to eternal life/Cause of Christ I'll not taste torment of hell/I will face His almighty holy majesty.
Overall, this EP has four songs and runs at just over 16 minutes. The cover artwork is pretty cool and kinda gives you the cold feeling like Horde's album cover did with the graveyard shot.
I wouldn't call this a blockbuster album or anything. The band could use some fine tuning here and there, but overall it's 16 minutes of grinding death metal that shows some promise. We'll see what happens next time around. (Review by Matt)
