Band:	Warforged
Album:	Essence Of The Land
Style:	Blackened death metal, Progressive death metal
Release date:	January 2014

01. Diabolical Being
02. Regurgitate
03. Phantoms In The Mist
04. Tainted Heart

This is one of those releases that seems to have a little bit of something for everyone without sacrificing the obvious artistic integrity. Warforged are obvious fans of the modern "ambient-laden extreme-prog" trend (a la The Contortionist), but jam so many more eclectic influences into this 14-minute EP that they do not easily fall under any classification. Soaring and emotive solos are juxtaposed by grotesque vocals depicting the decomposition of a corpse. This striking contrast manages to manifest an atmosphere of reticence and mystery.

Essence Of The Land follows very loose song structures, but somehow never feels meandering or lost. The choruses and verses are apparent, but often jumbled in the chaotic riffing and shrieks of the vocals. Despite being rather short, Warforged were certain to pack this EP with as many appropriate solos as possible; and the word appropriate is very important here. The instrumental portions of the release serve as bridges to connect different chapters in the story behind the music, working to set the mood quite masterfully. This is most likely what grants the work with such mesmerizing flow, as the band never misses a beat and never loses focus.

The production is a stellar example of how modern metal acts should be layering and mixing their albums. The guitars are completely audible, which is entirely necessary for the style, but one can still find themselves analyzing the different layers within the audio. With synths transposed on top of dueling guitars, the mixing spawns a dense forest which can present itself as either inviting or unforgiving. In addition, the vocal delivery is nothing short of phenomenal, with techniques ranging from primitive gutturals to artificially distorted shrieks that shred your speakers to bits. The dual-vocalists assist the band heavily in attaining this dense yet crisp production which is ever-so present.

While clinging to a few of the modern cliches in metal, Warforged have given firm evidence with this debut EP that experimentation can be achieved without sacrificing an accessible demeanor. With a very firm stance in the territory of concept albums, one can only hope that a full length from this band will prove even more expansive and creative, however for the time being this reviewer is satisfied replaying Essence Of The Land one more time.