War From a Harlots Mouth

War From A Harlots Mouth are a fairly recent Lifeforce Records signing, hot on the heels of the solid but recently defunct Harlots. Aside from the amusing parallel between their names, the groups both play metallic hardcore in a loose sense, but that is where the comparisons end. War From A Harlots Mouth are breakdown-oriented, for the most part, but also utilize frequent free-jazz interludes and occasional technical, spastic elements. The album opens strongly, throttling the listener with a series of crushing mosh parts but the formula is difficult to sustain for an entire record, particularly when there is a distinct lack of focus beyond playing as many different styles as possible. The aggression is there but unfortunately memorable songs aren't. That's not to say War From A Harlots Mouth are completely without their merits — a gnarly, understated production job prevents them from slipping into the trap of excessive polish, and the band are admittedly on-point throughout the record, failing to deliver any truly awful moments beyond a couple of rehashed, one-note breakdowns. However, a handful of tolerable elements do not make a classic, or even something that will be spun very often a couple of weeks after picking it up. Better luck next time!