Band: World Under Blood
Title: Tactical
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Distribution: PIAS
Release date: August 5th 2011
Review: CD

When two well-known musicians met at the very end of Summer 2006 -we’re talking about CKY / Foreign Objects-guitar player / singer Deron Miller and drummer Tim Yeung (the guy that worked with major acts like Hate Eternal, Council Of The Fallen, Aurora Borealis, Vital Remains, Decrepit Birth, Agiel, Morbid Angel or Divine Heresy)- they decided to start a new Death Metal band on their own. So World Under Blood were born. The duo recorded three songs - as a matter of fact, Tim did the drum parts while Deron recorded all other instruments; he did take care of the studio work as well, with the kind assistance of two famous professionals, Logan Mader and James Murphy! - and put it on Myf*ckingspace. Their success was enormous, rather unexpected, because World Under Blood did not think about a ‘real’ future (yet). To be able to continue as a band and to perform live, Deron felt the necessary urge (or is it ‘urgent necessity’?) to recruit (permanent) members. Soon he got in touch with guitarist Luke Jaeger (think: Sleep Terror, Vile, Misogyny, Severed Savior etc.) and bass player Risha Eryavec, who played in Decrepit Birth at that time. With session and studio assistance of James Murphy, World Under Blood started recording some older and a handful of new songs they (Tim and Deron) did write in mean time, yet the busy schedule of (reunited) CKY and the other members’ duties or session collaborations with different other bands did put the continuation on hold, at least for a while. Yet after recording the vocal parts last year, signing to major Nuclear Blast, and now having finished the mix as well (Spring ’11, by James Murphy at his home studio), Tactical is a fact, finally.
Tactical brings a thick half an hour of modern Death Metal with a focus on melodious riffs, a nice equilibrium between emotive spheres, varied vocals (grunting and clean ones), well-composed, somewhat progressive breaks and power-driven rhythm section. The avant-garde influences return more than once, sometimes minimizing the margins with the so-called Post Metal-scene. The heavier parts are slightly epic and shoving, and the excellent mix (James Murphy) creates a nice equipoise between the members. The compositions are, seen from technical point of view, inventive from time to time, but taking the members’ experience in considering, this isn’t surprising, of course.
One might satirize the extravagant approach, going for both sound / production and performance. Too much is too much, I do agree largely, for Tactical is pretentious and megalomaniac. But in case you appreciate American-sounding Death Metal and the progressive elements from many Swedish or Norwegian acts, then you better check out World Under Blood.

75/100

Ivan Tibos.