BODY OF SCARS

They came from points west, including Oakland, CA. Central CA. and from as far away as Sweden to converge on the hot desert metropolis known as Phoenix, AZ. The members of Body Of Scars have individual storied pasts with frontman James Santiago having done a pair of albums for Metal Blade Records with the Bay Area's 40 Grit, drummer Rikard Stjernquist having spent over half his life with Colorado metal legends Jag Panzer and guitarist Randy Davis making his mark with underground sensations Motive. Body Of Scars, however, is it's own animal and there is no resting on laurels for these metal maniacs, "“From day one Randy, Rikard and myself wanted to do something different from what we did in all of our other bands or projects and Body of Scars was born“.



The quartet formed late in 2006 when friends Randy Davis and James Santiago got together to drink a few cold ones and talk some shop. The duo brought out the guitars and before they knew it they had written two or three songs, Davis relates, "James and I are like the flow brothers, we feed off each other and writing with James makes it all too easy!". Stjernquist checked out the material and decided that this was something he wanted to be a part of. “After meeting James and Randy while listening to the material I knew I wanted to be a part of this band without a doubt in my mind" recalls the skinsman. The band recruited a temporary bass player and began playing out around Phoenix, all the while continuing to write. After a year went by the band realized they had written enough material for 2 or 3 albums and began weeding through the songs in order to record what would become their debut effort.



With their self titled debut album, the quartet show a diversity seldom seen in the metal ranks, all the while staying true to their roots. Songs such as "Bounced", "Body of Scars", "Blood Drain", "Set Ablaze" and "Let’s Get High" will show you the variety of tunings, musicianship and talent this band really has within it's ranks



Brian Davis

Editor In Chief, METALEATER



BODY OF SCARS – Body Of Scars B-



Head First Entertainment



1. Nothing Without Nothing



2. Bounced



3. Body Of Scars



4. Obscene



5. Numbered



6. Throwing My Life Away



7. Blood Drain



8. Fractured



9. Let's Get High



10. Set Ablaze



To label Phoenix, Arizona's BODY OF SCARS a Hardcore band would be to put them in a confining box in which they simply do not belong. Not that there isn't a strong Hardcore influence, namely on the part of the vocals from vocalist/guitarist James Santiago (formerly a member of Metal Blade stand out 40 GRIT). But there are sonic sounds and crushing elements, such as ripping guitar solos and other-worldly drumming, that make BODY OF SCARS an intriguing, big time player in the legendary Arizona Metal scene.



The gritty spawn of Santiago and riff master Randy Davis, BODY OF SCARS quickly converged and immediately embarked on a quest to redefine the very meaning of heavy; the result is their self-titled debut album, and to say they've succeeded would be a considerable understatement. BODY OF SCARS is heavier that Atlas' burden, and the entire album buries the listener in a massively weighted concrete casket with the heaviness pouring in from all directions. Bass and guitar collide and converge to create a thick, thrumming, back breaking sound that is the aural equivalent of a category five tornado trailing a path of devastated wreckage in its wake. That aspect alone makes BODY OF SCARS a long term force to be reckoned with, but the ultimate seal on this deal is the rather surprising presence of elite drummer Rikard Stjernquist, known for his masterful work with the top tier Power Metal titan JAG PANZER. Stjernquist's performance on this album is enough to leave the listener dizzy and in earnest awe, and the drumming alone gives this album a very high replay value.



Of course, as with any debut album, the listener ultimately ends up hoping that the next release is even better, with evolution on some or all fronts. In the case of BODY OF SCARS, the vocals stand out as the needful area of improvement. That's not to say Santiago doesn't give a solid performance, but he has a gritty melodic aspect that, while showing itself quite effectively on tracks like "Body Of Scars" and "Throwing My Life Away", would most certainly elevate the band even further if it were implemented more often. More vocal variety would be the icing on this thick-as-lead cake, but there's no doubting the strength, consistency and sheer heaviness of BODY OF SCARS. Hell, when you're done listening you may even find a few new scars on your own body.



http://www.metaleater.com/albumreviews-bodyofscars2007.php



Brian Davis