After extensive festival performances in 2014, WSS captivated that energy in Brainwashed and have put out an album full of crushing riffs and guttural vocals which sound brilliant, especially after frontman Loz's vocal surgery, which left fans unsure of if the band would continue in the same format.
The name Brainwashed is apt for the album. With its hypnotising and indoctrinating traits, it certainly doesn't disappoint. The album begins with the typical style of the audience's crescendo, then the first full track explodes in your face as the brutal gang vocals of New World Torture are made sure they are heard.
The album doesn't lose pace for a second, with each successive song being as ferocious as its predecessor. Your Evolution sounds as if it came directly from an early Slipknot demo, it's that bonkers.You get a slight second to breathe when the interlude We Are Alive At Night sounds, with its beautiful clean guitar melodies helping to prepare you for what's to come.
Back to back, Our Legacy and leading single Four Walls are two songs which completely demonstrate WSS's pure ability to make classic songs, which is a rare feat for a band still fairly in their infancy. There's almost a glimmer of metal legends Machine Head in their huge sound.
The rest of the album doesn't disappoint, if anything WSS have spaced out their contagious guitar riffs and intricate drumming equally throughout Brainwashed. No Sides, No Enemies is one of those typical songs you'd expect to hear at the tail-end of a While She Sleeps album, everything about it is perfectly crafted and captures the band's best elements.
The Sheffield quintet have put out an album that not only lives up to the hype of the debut, but it is certain to catapult them into the promised land where they are slowly deserving a place amongst the greats of the genre.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Stand-out tracks: Your Evolution, Four Walls and No Sides, No Enemies.
nice review Tom
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