Wynjara
Human Plague
7.1
Containing elements of standard U.S. death metal with hints of thrash and even doom, what might sound like a disaster in description actually turns out fairly well. But I suppose if anyone's capable of pulling it off, it's Wynjara, a veteran act containing ex-members of Divine Empire, Monstrosity, and Malevolent Creation. Apparently Wynjara released an album four years ago - an album in which I paid absolutely no attention to.
The second track, and first song, "Laughing As They Die", actually comes across a bit punchy and reminiscent of Edge of Sanity. It doesn't stay that way though, as Wynjara have more of an American death metal sound, wholly - but apparently they refer to it as "Aborigine-inspired". Whatever it is, it's certainly not the kind of thing I'd expect to be released on Nocturnal Art Productions. I'm a big fan of the vocals, which go from a guttural growl to a dense yell with smooth transition, along with some evil goblin backup vocals at times. Using a drum machine, it's more rhythm oriented death metal, not relying on technicality to capture and maintain your attention. Don't be turned off by the mention of the drum machine, as it's done tastefully and obviously programmed by someone who knows exactly what they're doing. Truthfully, I'm not a big fan of some of the instrumental interludes like "Rebirth", which reminds me too much of Bal-Sagoth and not enough like the American death metal powerhouse Wynjara are supposed to embody. The following track "Shallow", is a heavy groovy head-bobbing song with a well-done solo that makes up for the prolonged boring instrumental, and "Little Man" actually reminds me a little of later-era Entombed, mainly due to the riffing.
Human Plague isn't a groundbreaking album; not by any means. However, it's death metal played by skilled musicians who don't fuck up a good album by trying to wear themselves too thin. While not something I'd recommend you rush out and buy, if you're in the mood for some straightforward and well-played American death metal, you should certainly turn in the direction of the nearest copy of Human Plague.
