First Degree Murga - Calls To Arms

First Degree Murga

Calls To Arms
self-released; 2016

​3.3 out of 5

By Jamie Funk
​

First Degree Murga is a solo artist from Leeds. By day he designs kitchens but his true passion is music. He recently released Calls To Arms EP, which in his own words has “modern day protest songs, throwing light and commentary and the serious issue of Governance, and the idea of a conspiracy of the world's global elite.”

I have no idea how educated he is on these issues but a lot of the ideas throughout the album feel like they are coming from a conspiracy theorist. He sings/raps about government conspiracy, being sheep in a vast arena, World War III. That type of thing. 

The music on Calls To Arms EP” feels aligned with ’90s acts like Rage Against The Machine and Linkin Park. Take for instance “Back to the Lab.” The guitars sound similar to something Tom Morello would play and the vocals unequivocally sound similar to Zack de la Rocha. It does help that he has a distinct Leeds accent which helps differentiate himself from Rage. 

“D'You Wanna Be a Wolf?” touts aggressive distorted guitars and more of the rapping/singing style. He spits fast rhymes during the verse and repeats the title as the hook. There isn’t much deviation as the EP progresses. The guitar have the same tone, play a similar style while the singing relies on the same inflection. 

Going forward I think First Degree Murga might want to see if he can find a drummer. The programmed drums holds back the songs and don’t have the same dynamics as a real drummer. 

​This is niche music which is in a lot of ways is a relic of the past. Not many acts are sticking with this style of music anymore. That's not a bad thing but it certainly will be enjoyed by a particular audience.

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