July 31st, 2008 
James Shotwell 
Band: War of Ages
Album: Arise and Conquer
Genre: Metal
Label: Facedown
Tracks:
1. All Consuming Fire
2. When Faith Turns To Ashes
3. Through The Flames
4. Salvation
5. Sleep of Prisoners
6. Wages of Sin
7. Yet Another Fallen Eve
8. Generational Curse
9. The Awakening
10. The Deception of Strongholds
When I was first asked to review Arise and Conquer by War of Ages, I went on the band’s MySpace and I noticed that they were a Christian band, that there was a ton of fire all over their profile, and the words in the song titles. As soon as I saw the second two things listed, I was terrified that they were going to be power metal, but I trusted the way they labeled themselves so I took a listen, I was blown away right off the bat so I was actually pumped to review it. The only thing I was unsure about was the Christian genre, I have nothing against any religions, but I really don’t like preachy music.
The first thing that really stood out about this band was the guitar work. Normally the guitar work in this genre is good, but it doesn’t really stand out or seem like anything special. The second thing that I really noticed was the vocals. They hit extremely hard. These guys are obviously very talented and serious about the music they play from the beginning of the album.
One thing I really like is that every single track on the album is nice and heavy; there are no mellow, boring, slow, or weepy songs. There is only one track that starts off kind of mellow, but it goes into heavy in less then a minute so I really respect these guys for that, they stick to heavy, which is the way Metalcore should be played. Another thing that I really enjoyed about this band is that they are Christian, but they weren’t super preachy on this album. They do have extremely Christian lyrics, but they don’t take a whole mellow approach at some point to simply discuss their views.
My favorite track on this album would have to be the very first track, “All Consuming Fire”. It starts off with a brutal scream that gives you an idea of what to expect from there on out and it most certainly doesn’t let you down. The drums are pumping on the double bass a lot throughout this song to keep the pace up, and the guitar work is really technical at parts while still being catchy.
Now like I said I liked the first track the most, but there is not one track on the album that lets you down. Every single song on here is well written and put together. One thing you won’t see much of on this album is long intense heavy breakdowns, but the breakdowns in the songs are well put together. Though, I do wish they were a little bit longer.
Another track that I really enjoyed on this album was actually the shortest track, which was entitled, “When Faith Turns To Ashes.” While less then two minutes long they accomplish a lot in this track. There is a plenty of variety so it’s short, sweet, and right to the point. It shows how talented a band can be to have a short song that’s not so short you want more but shorter then you normally like.
Now if you like heavy, screaming, and fast paced tracks on a whole album you will not be disappointed by this band at all. Personally I really enjoyed Arise and Conquer, but I do wish that they would have had a little bit more variety. This is a really talent group of guys who really love doing what they do and know how to express their love for God through their music so I really do respect them for that. Give this a spin, you won’t be disappointed. That, unless you don’t like metal, but if that’s the case, why are you reading this?
*Written By: Danny Weiss*
GRADE: 8.5/10
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