After one listen to Eden Compromised, it's not surprising to find that Masakari take their name from a battle-axe used in ancient Japan. The four songs that make up this debut 7" are as destructive as a blow to the skull with such a weapon.
"The War Within" is a thundering, metallic slab of meaty riffs and pummeling, chaotic drums. I hear a lot of d-beat and crust influence in this song, and the others as well. Obviously Masakari take heaps of influence from giants of the genre His Hero is Gone. But Masakari are not a knock off; there is some nice mid-tempo open-chord riffing going on too, which is quite cool. "Forever Cursed" takes a slightly more hardcore approach with its use of gang vocals and a breakdown. "Vanquish" and "Egoism in Harvest" round out the EP and are equally as heavy - the production of Bill Korecky (Keelhaul, Integrity) suits the band well. The former opens with ultra heavy slow riffs, the latter features impeccable drumming on display.
If I had one complaint, it's that nearly all the bands playing this style sound consistently similar, Masakari included. There isn't much variation, which can get a bit monotonous. In spite of this, this Cleveland outfit does quite well on their debut 7".
