History & Biography A.W.A.S. was formed in 1999 in Bonn, the former capital city of Germany, as Torment. The white metal band changed its name to Ardent War Against Satanism and issued a demo called Time To Choose in 2003. The group had in fact gone on hiatus in 2000. The group issued the Hope album through Whirlwind Records in 2006. Open Grave Productions picked the same up for America a year later.
Reviews A.W.A.S. - HOPE - OPEN GRAVE
A.W.A.S. stands for Acoustic War Against Satan, which is a great name for a white metal band. The group has all the trappings of an aggressive underground band, but not praising death it is difficult to understand why the label would call them 'death metal.' The band’s logo, cover, buzzing guitars and growls are all indicative of something sinister and extreme, but it is not any of that.
With lines like, “We love our God Jesus Christ our King. In Heaven we will sing. I hate the devil I love the Lord read the bible it's the sword. Finish him!” or the equally blatant, “Acoustic war against Satan Saved by the almighty only one, who gave for you his beloved son” these Germans might be the Christian extreme music fan’s biggest fantasy fulfilment since Mortification, but for the music on Hope. The vocals are merely okay clearly picking up influences from Chris Barnes. The music is noisy and underproduced and fails to unleash real extremity. The by-the-numbers approach is detrimental given how barely a riff or section sticks in one’s mind or comes across as genuinely momentous. It is not bad, it is hardly wimpy, but nothing flies from the disc to make an impact upon the listener. Hope is strictly for Christian souls hoping for the return of their Messiah. - Ali “The Metallian”
Interviews
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