DEF CON ONE, Warface  (2012, Scarlet)

The skull:
Where have we seen this before? It’s almost guaranteed just from the artwork alone that we’re in for some shitty metal. But first, the cover: gasmask and fallout symbol. What are we supposed to feel? What is this trying to say? Why did the band think this was such a stunning piece or art that they went and reproduced it almost exactly for their next album? (The imaginatively titled II.) If I didn’t know any better I’d guess this was some not-really-supergroup formed by members of Skinlab, Sacrilege B.C. and some drummer that lasted about four minutes with Laaz Rockit.

The music:
Funny, I was just thinking how I needed more cruddy modern British metal in my life and Def-Con-One delivered!!! Def Con One (stupidest name ever) are the perfect illustration of what we’re trying to figure out here at Big Dumb Skulls, whether shitty/stupid/uncreative album covers are a reflection of the music inside. Warface seems to proudly answer that question with a resounding “you betcha!” This is music that would only sound right pumping out of the shitty earbuds of power-lifting gym-rat jarheads, lots of ranting about psychos, strength, bullets, and “not listening to a single word I say.” The double bass drumming is super-solid, but recorded way too clicky. The singer is yet another dude that looks like Phil Anselmo yelping like Phil Anselmo. And the riffs sound like ones Pro-Pain threw out for not being good enough. They make reasonable attempts to inject some melody into their aggro anthems (“Hold On”, “March of the Dead”), but even these fall flat in a post-grunge kind of heap. This band features some Venom drummer named Antton, who is technically way better than Abaddon, but still, if he’s not Abaddon, and the music is this stupid, Def Con One is a limply hanging branch of the Venom family tree, at best.
— Friar Wagner