Well this is most definitely a front runner for EP of the year.  Wow!  Chicago’s Wounds have got my tech death appetite drooling with their debut EP Light Eater.  I had heard from word of mouth from other bands in my area here in Minnesota regarding this incredible band.   I had been hearing the name of these guys through a few different death metal circles. It didn’t take more than a month or so after hearing about these guys that I discovered they were picked up by Everlasting Spew Records.  Wounds are definitely worthy of the label support and material wise I really am left wanting more after getting through their Light Eater EP.

Having been around since 2006 under the name of Wounds of Ruin.  Wounds have had quite a deal of time to find their sound.  The amount of time spent on building and enhancing their chops shows right off the bat with the first tune, “Explosion of Interstellar Terror”.  I am also quite impressed that Wounds only have one guitarist.  Guitarist Rick Mora is a machine and his picking hand should have an insurance policy for how polished and aggressive it is throughout this twenty minute effort. My only issue I have with the whole EP is the guitar solo on the track “Metamorphosis”. It is a quick almost bluesy solo which just feels a bit out of place. This is really just a matter of Nit Nick Picking on my end.  I would imagine that the lead work will improve on future releases.  Most of the rhythms sound like solos anyways.

I can definitely hear the influences of the groups that they mention as influence ( Decapitated, Soreption, Arkaik).  I also hear some Archspire and Nile influence as well. At a near run time of twenty minutes this EP does go a bit quick. “Fractured” is probably my favorite tune on the album.  Drummer Nate Burgard does an excellent job blasting through the five tracks. Wounds are a group I could see getting signed to a bigger label sometime in the near future.  They definitely are worth checking out to get familiar with.   Technical death metal fans should be all over this if they are not already.  Highly recommended.

[Visit the band's website]

---

Comments