Warmen - Here for None (2023)

It has been a while since Janne Warman has turned his attention to Warmen and their insanely fast and technical music. While their previous 2014 release was meh at best, their first four albums are just amazing. With “Here for None”, Janne alongside his brother and new additions Petri Lindross and Seppo Tarvainen, return with a refreshed sound that is more aggressive, (a bit) slower, and yet more cohesive and equally enjoyable.

Opening with the catchy “Warmen are Here for None”, the band quickly unleashes their more aggressive nature with Lindross snarl and heavier/more melodic death metal-esque guitar work. However, the magic of Warmen is always present as Janne’s over the top keyboards and Antti’s guitar wizardry as songs like “The Driving Force”, “A World of Pain”, and “Too Much, Too Late” demonstrate. There are certain Children of Bodom elements in the music, but the band imprints their own spin, like one epic songs such as “Night Terrors”.

Pummeling with furious drumming and potent riffing, pieces like “Hell on Four Wheels” and “The End of the Line”, have a certain explosive nature that showcases the band’s wide range of influences and expert songwriting skills. We just love the atmospheric keyboards and how they play to the intricate guitar parts, and of course, sometimes run wild in some crazy solos. The catchiness of the music is another factor to love in this release, as songs like “The Cold Unknown” will have you headbanging from start to end.

Closing with the excellent Ultravox cover of “Dancing with Tears in my Eyes”, Warmen has managed to prove they can change their style, deliver a killer album, and not sound like a continuation of CoB, all at the same time. If you are looking for the instrumental or Power Metal Warmen, you will find that part of their core intact, but adorned with heavier and more aggressive songs. One thing that can’t be denied is that this release is high-octane, technically challenging, and overall awesome, so have an open mind when giving it a few spins.

Label: Reaper Entertainment

Release: August 18th, 2023

Genre: Melodic Death Metal

Country: Finland