One More Word – Wheel Of Suffering

Label: Boersma-Records
Releasedate: 15-05-2020

Hailing from Hamburg, Germany, One More Word has released their first LP Wheel of Suffering. This is their second release after their debut EP Efectus Pavonis, and my first impression is that these dudes are bringing back the metalcore to the 90s/ early 2000s back. This album is 39 minutes and 8 seconds of a trip to the past, and more precisely to my teenager years, when Nu Metal was king and metalcore were messing around with the youth. They call themselves modern metal, but for me it’s not quite that, since I can’t really spot something really ground breaking on the album. But don’t take me wrong, artists don’t have to reinvent the wheel all over to make it spin, and these guys work pretty well.

For example, the first track, “Inner Demons”, kicks the album pretty well, leaving the listeners with no doubts about the speed and power that One More Word will be bringing upon us. There is an overall good combination of instruments and vocals deliver what they are meant to. The remaining songs are fast and merge quite well into each other, and as a result, the album blasts through without even noticing.

And suddenly, the break happens. When I was least expecting, “Momentum” appears on, proving that the name applies well as a propeller for the remaining album. I can imagine crowds shouting “long live the king”.

In the same vain, “Out Of Sight, Out of Mind” does a wonderful job providing the sing along material for concert bases with a mild guitar start, followed by intensive growling. There are violins and there is chorus of “breath in, breath out”. And after that, “Forever” brings female vocal power, which was totally unexpected.

Finally, to conclude the album, there is a mild track, “Noah”. Absolutely in opposition to everything we heard before but definitely a good option to close, with acoustic guitars warm voice to send us home.

To finalize, this album is an interesting ride to the past. For fans of Slipknot and In Flames there might be there something for you. Clearly, this took me back a couple of years. I would love to see how these dudes do live. Will be expecting an opportunity after all the lockdowns are over.

Line up:

• Julian „Jugy“ Altemeier – Vocals
• David Lee „Dave“ Prüß – Guitar
• Hendrik „Henne“ Schmidt – Guitar
• Wolfram „Wolle“ Seiffert – Bass
• Alexander „Alex“ Pinnecke – Drums

tracklist

1. Inner Demons
2. Darkest Days
3. The Illusion Of Time
4. Trapped
5. The Eagle And The Snake
6. Momentum
7. Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind
8. Forever
9. Total Eclipse
10. Wheel Of Suffering (Samsara)
11. Noah

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