Sold Date: February 28, 2024
Start Date: February 12, 2024
Final Price: $30.95 (USD)
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Brand new LP. Sealed.
Ships safely. Photos are stock images.
Black vinyl.
High Roller Records, black vinyl, ltd 250, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, lyric sheet, poster, A4 insert, A5 photo card, Original 1987 sound !!! Specially mastered for vinyl !!!

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Paul Arnold - Bass, Vocals Shawn Helsel - Guitars Dave Stone - Drums
-F.Y.I. -Conscientious Objector -Creed of the Sniper -Covert Sins -Crush Your Life -Gutless Sympathizer -Church and State -Felon's Guilt -Thinkin' -The Example



mastered by Patrick W. Engel/ Temple of Disharmony, 100% original sound, no remaster!

At War was formed in 1983 by guitarist Shawn Helsel, drummer Dave Stone and vocalist Paul Arnold. Originally trying out vocalists the band quickly decided that the brutal form of metal they had envisioned could only be brought forth by Arnold’s growling vocals.
June of 1985 saw the release of At War’s first demo entitled “Eat Lead“. The two song demo consisted of the songs “Rapechase” and what has turned out to be At War’s anthem, “Eat Lead” and immediately received excellent reviews from fanzines and magazines; it was high on rotation on many college radio stations in the United States and had an even better reception Overseas. It was because of this demo that At War had been dubbed by Spin Magazine as “America’s answer to Motorhead“. This demo garnered At War much attention and an appearance on the now legendary compilation “Speed Metal Hell” issued by the relatively new label from California, New Renaissance Records for the song “Eat Lead.” This compilation is the Holy Grail among metal collectors all over the world.
This led to their first full length release “Ordered to Kill” in 1986. So well received was this album and subsequent tour that New Renaissance Records decided to put the second song from their “Eat Lead” demo, “Rapechase” on their next compilation, “Speed Metal Hell II”, now also a collector’s item. After more touring and on a roll, At War immediately booked studio time with the great Alex Perialas at Pyramid Sound Studio to produce their awesome 1987 release “Retaliatory Strike“. With Rob “Wacko” Hunter co-engineering this masterpiece, At War’s place in the world of metal was solidified. At War toured relentlessly through the eighties and early nineties when negotiations began to break down with New Renaissance Records and the music scene was in the midst of a huge change. Around 1994 At War recorded material for their follow up to “Retaliatory Strike“, but were never really happy with the recordings, so it was never released. At War played its last show around this time.
Dave, Paul and Shawn remained close friends and At War never officially called it quits. There were several attempts to revive the band during the late nineties and early 2000’s, but with families and businesses to run, it was just not the right time.
Fast forward to the year 2006. The amount of fan pressure had been and was so intense along with the resurgence of the thrash metal movement, At War felt the time was right to get moving again and take care of unfinished business. Determined to put the brute force of At War back in the faces of the legions of dedicated fans, they are back at it with the original lineup. In 2008 At War started working on their latest release “Infidel” and went back to their roots on the new material and included a few songs that were written during the “Retaliatory Strike” sessions. At War also fulfilled a career dream by finally getting over to Europe in 2008 when they played the “Thrash Assault II Festival” in Worzburg, Germany in February to a huge crowd of Germanys’ most avid metal fans. The crowd response was so intense, they were invited back to Hamburg, Germany and played at the “Headbangers Open Air Festival” in July. The weekend prior to heading back to Germany, At War made their first appearance in Mexico City, Mexico to play at the infamous “Circo Volador“. This marks a milestone for At War as they have always had a devoted following in Central and South America, and the fans finally got a chance to see At War live. Talks are in the works to bring At War to Brazil, Columbia and many other South American countries along with Japan and Europe.
In September of 2008 At war signed a new deal with Heavy Artillery Records for the release of their new CD “Infidel“. Released on August 18th 2009 to rave reviews, At War has concreted their return and relevance in the underground metal scene. “Infidel” was recorded in January of 2009 at Pyramid Sound Studio with famed Metal producer Alex Perialas (Testament, Overkill, Nuclear Assault, etc.). This pairing has proven to be a perfect partnership, with Heavy Artillery Records network, intense knowledge of the metal scene and their enthusiasm with At War.
At War is back with a vengeance, all due to their rabid fan base. Keep your eyes and ears out for At War!!!

At War's second attack follows the approach of their debut in a more or less strict manner. One might discuss the question whether they have increased the degree of complexity minimally. But in order to keep the eye on the big picture, this full-length can be deemed as another collection of pretty simple thrash / speed metal compositions. And it goes without saying that the lyrics do not conceal the almost painfully patriotic and belligerent attitude of the formation. "200 years is all it took / The rest of the world must take a look / And notice just how far we've come" - I really like this complacent ideology. (Did I already confess that I am a notorious liar?)
With regard to the quality of the music, At War are able to maintain the standard of "Ordered to Kill". Furthermore, they have enhanced their portfolio. The short hardcore eruption "Thinking" knows no clemency. High speed and staccato gang shouts characterise 45 violent seconds. However, this tune remains an exception. The musicians don't flirt with the punk scene and that's the best they can do. Their anti-communistic mentality does not match the dogmas of the mostly anti-fascistic religion of the guys with the multi-coloured hairs. Thus, the band stands with both feet firmly on the metallic ground, even though "Creed of the Sniper" also borders on hardcore due to its extremely reduced lyrics.
The band still polarises. For example, the dudes condemn every seemingly daft creature that does not realize the necessity of being prepared for war. "Conscientious Objector" has a clear (and dubious) message. Yet the flattening riffs, the chorus that bursts with energy and the fundamental combativeness of the composition are of greater relevance. They make this piece a very worthy opener after the spoken intro which refers to the cover scenario. Tracks such as the phenomenal "Covert Sins" with its menacingly rising chorus or the hateful, fast-paced "Gutless Sympathizer", which offers another great, catchy chorus, are heading in the same direction. The similarly constructed "Felon's Guilt" is almost an earworm. The adequate mix of heaviness, aggression and catchiness works excellently. Some very strong guitar solos add the final touch.
Although the production fails to provide a massive wall of sound, there are no reasons to say anything bad about the technical realisation of the songs. As is often the case, the bass is oppressed by the remaining instruments and the hardly variable yet powerful voice. Nevertheless, I am satisfied with the mix, because the guitars don't sound thin and the penetrative drums do their job as well. Only one point of criticism remains. It is slightly annoying that the closers of both sides of the vinyl pale beside the other tracks. Of course, the song formula of the jolly patriots lies in close proximity to an overly simple way of proceeding. It is therefore an inherent risk of At War's style that they make one step over the line - but thankfully, this happens only in very rare cases.
All in all, the trio delivers a strong album and does not disappoint all those who had great expectations after the formidable debut. If you enjoy easily accessible, authentic and fairly brutal metal, you should rise from your couch and give "Retaliatory Strike" a try. Real life is complex enough and I see therefore no reason to avoid slightly primitive music.