Master’s Call – ‘A Journey For The Damned’

Blackened Death Metal

Fireflash Records

Release Date – November 24^th 2023

Review By Smudge

Master’s Call hails from the Midlands black country, so metal is in their industrial, coal-filled DNA. They take the best bits from the likes of Watain, Emperor, Morbid Angel, Immortal plus, of course, their fellow Midlanders Black Sabbath and Judas Priest.

It’s a proper Black Country metal start on opener ‘All Hope In Fire’ with thunder, rain, a huge churchy organ, and tolling bells all developing a dark atmosphere. Then we get a choppy riff and a bear-like roar and they’re off on a massive slab of blackened death thrash. It sounds huge and anthemic with James Williams knocking seven different colours out of his kit and the guitars creating a nasty, filthy wash over the vocals. ‘Beyond The Gates’ gets more extreme but has a melodic synth smoothing the background before the crushing ‘The Serpents Rise’ gets in your head with a spooky intro before it changes gears and races along on a truly evil line.

‘Blood On The Altar’ is another rabid banger full of black metal melodies and a death metal groove then ‘Damnations Black Winds’ is full-on, in-your-face blackened death thrash, loud, fast and aggressive. ‘Into The Abyss Once More’ eases back a bit and has some haunting screams of pain on the intro before another vicious stabbing riff and battery of rhythms knock you senseless then you just about gather your senses when ‘Pathways’ gives another aural pummelling that finishes the job – this is proper heavy, and it grooves like a bastard on a fine bass line from Lewis Chrimes.

As my teenage daughter says – ‘Like, Wow! Just wow!’ Honestly, I thought the Scandinavians and the Yanks had monopolies on extreme metal – oh no they don’t! Master’s Call is as good as I’ve heard if not better. Those rhythms from Chrimes and Williams are rock solid, the guitars of Powell and Bear and lethal plus the vocals from the reluctant frontman Wilcox are right on point. It might be extreme metal but there are a whole load of melodies in there too. All this and an expensive-sounding mix/master from Kristian ‘Kohle’ Bonifer make this an essential purchase. Go on treat yourself to an early Xmas prezzie.

Track List –

1 – All Hope In Fire

2 – Beyond The Gates

3 – The Serpents Rise

4 – Blood On The Altar

5 – Damnations Black Winds

6 – Into The Abyss Once More

7 – Pathways