Warp Zone by Martyr

Warp Zone is Martyr's 2nd full-length album. It was released on March 11, 2000.

The atmosphere of the album constantly shifts between aggression and melancholy, with a variety of transitions that are greatly aided by the band’s technical ability to write and play complicated songs. This keeps the album consistently fresh, even after 5+ listens. Each track has plenty going on, but Martyr doesn’t fall into the trap that plagues so many technical metal bands: complexity for it’s own sake. Never was I thinking that any moment in the album was just for ‘showing off.’ The technicality serves the song, not the other way around. And serve it does. Tempo changes are extremely common, and they unsettle while keeping things interesting. Dan and Francois Mongrain’s vocals are an interesting mix between the chant-like qualities of Slayer’s Tom Araya and the classic guttural death metal growl. Lampron and Dan Mongrain’s guitar work is impeccable, and they can effortlessly switch between quick, precise melodies and crushing riffs. Hamelin’s drumming has no trouble keeping up, and his primal, brutal sound often keeps the album grounded. Francois Mongrain’s bass work is solid, and helps drive the tracks forward. The mix really highlights these performances, as all the instruments are distinctly audible. None of the brutality comes from the production, but it doesn’t need to. The performances speak for themselves and the production supports them, leading to a sound that is clean without being overly sanitized. Overall, this is a great album, and any fan of metal owes it to themselves to give this one a shot.

Tracklist

1.	Warp Zone	3:04

2.	Virtual Emotions	4:08

3.	Endless Vortex Towards Erasing Destiny	3:19

4.	Deserted Waters	4:11

5.	Carpe Diem	4:22

6.	The Fortune-Teller	4:23

7.	Speechless	5:03

8.	Retry? Abort? Ignore?	4:29

9.	Realms of Reverie	5:44

Credits

released January 1, 2000

License