“Pacifism is Cowardice is the culmination of seven years of dedicated work,” say Spearhead in a group-prepared statement. “From the outset we knew that this material was some of the strongest we had ever written — focused, purposeful and unyielding, yet with a greater sense of dynamics and variety in terms of songwriting. Above all, we feel we have once again succeeded in crafting an album that embodies the ethos and principles of the band without any compromise.”
Indeed, the follow-up to 2011’s blisteringly brutal Theomachia isn’t compromise but growth. To wit, Theomachia is to the Panavia Tornado what Pacifism is Cowardice is to the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, a powerful flying death machine the likes of which have no clear equal. While Spearhead’s peers in Perdition Temple, Impiety, and Pseudogod find soulless solace in brute strength and overwhelming attack, Spearhead’s Pacifism is Cowardice is a strategic killer. Lead-off track “Of Sun and Steel” is a relentless machine gun, firing high-velocity, flesh-tearing bullets with accuracy and precision. It’s the kind of death metal that’s breathless in its forward-charging momentum. But there’s a cunning side to Spearhead’s multi-headed barrage. Just as the intensity starts to plateau, Spearhead drill back into slower patterns and dissonant motifs. This all-steel but brainy model also finds itself in “Wolves of the Krypteia, We,” “Hyperanthropos,” “The Elysian Ideal,” and
“Aion (Two Keys and a Lion’s Face).”
So, legions of Southern England and fellow allies abroad, it’s time for war! Spearhead will lead the way to victory with a full-album stream of Pacifism is Cowardice! Ubi mors ibi spes!
** Spearhead’s Pacifism is Cowardice is out November 23rd on Irish indie Invictus Productions. Pre-order CD and LP HERE.
