Feverwar – Bible and Sword

By Ryan G

Words: Ryan Getz

The Bible and Sword EP opens with a rather bleak sentiment. “They say we’re a disease…well I agree” the band bemuses. I am left wondering if the doom and gloom will persist for the duration of the record, or if this is just some sort of self-contained catharsis.

Track two, “3 Matches, 6 Shots” seems to indicate that the bleakness ain’t letting up anytime soon with these guys. Immediate comparisons to Beartooth come to mind, albeit with some more adventurous guitar work. Shoot, in general the direction of the songs thus far seem to be a little less predictable than that of our friends signed to Red Bull Records.

The anger continues on “The American Dream,” a fairly self explanatory diatribe against the stereotypical white-picket-fence pursuit of happiness. At one point in the song we hear “What am I worth you?” asked desperately ad nauseam. One could think of the almost overbearing repetition as intentionally thus – the mild annoyance of this phrase being pounded into our subconscious is worth the point the band is trying to make, I think. The proceeding, similarly sounding tune “Savage” is the first time I’ve heard Saud Ahmed (The Crimson Armada, The Holy Guile) is quite a few years. Appropriate, given that The Crimson Armada is doing a reunion show this spring. There’s some sort of metaphor for bridging the old and new in there – an Ohio screaming icon of sorts making an appearance on a track from a band that arguably is “next.”

I find myself getting a tad confused while reading the lyrics of the next song, “Frontrunner.” It appears that the pleas for purpose are a bit open to interpretation in the chorus (“Tell me now / tell me what I need / To know / I need to know if it’s worth my time”). What isn’t confusing though, is how it carries on the vibe of the record. By this point, the initial novelty of the “more experimental Beartooth” approach is wearing off a bit, but this is something that I nevertheless think would translate very well into a live setting.

It’s kind of ironic I was talking about the novelty wearing off just now because the EP comes to an end with a little more laid back track that has its guitars showing off a tone ripe for some glam rock band. The tone shift is subtle but there. An intriguing way to end an EP, for sure.

Feverwar are deceptively straightforward. If you spend some time really paying attention, you’ll find that they’re more adventurous than they initially let on. I think the next EP after Bible and Sword will be one that really defines the band’s sound, for better or for worse. I like the pathway Fevarwar seems to be opening, though.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB3tXECxglA[/youtube]

Score: 3.6/5

Feverwar: bandcamp | Facebook

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