Fusion metal pioneers Dub War recently released the single Art of War. It is the fifth track from the upcoming, album of all-new material, Westgate Under Fire – their first in over a quarter of a century.
Art of Warsees guest musician Spike T Smith (The Damned) take on frenetic drumming duties, and finds frontman Benji Webbe (Skindred) and the rest of the band lean into a more fast-paced punk-rock style, further exemplifying the band’s inimitable ability to traverse genres. The track is also thematically focused around Newport, with lyrics mentioning a local musician, whose artwork also features on the album sleeve.
Speaking on the new single, Webbe says, “Mikee “KRUPA” Gregory was reading the book ‘The Art of War’ at the time that I was working on songs for the album, I thought it was a great title and just wrote a lot of words about Newport & Nazis.
Frankie Lodge (mentioned in the lyrics) was a guy with mental difficulties who once sang opera in the subway in Newport. Frankie’s mural features on the back cover of the album as he’s another piece of Newport history.
Spike T Smith really stepped up and brought the magic on the drums on this track.”
The new track follows the release of Dub War’s prog-infused track Get Back Up which featured Faith No More drummer Mike Bordin – who has also played alongside the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, and Korn – on intricate yet powerful drumming duties. They also recently shared a hip-hop influenced metal track Vibes In The Place, which saw fellow Newport resident and good friend of the band Mikee “KRUPA” Gregory on drums. The band also shared a rousing ragga-punk cover of the Max Romeo and the Upsetters’ classic War Inna Babylon earlier this year, which featured guest vocals from the legendary Ranking Roger of The Beat in his last ever recording before his sad passing in 2019.
Alongside the latest single the band have also announced a short run of in-store performances across the UK to celebrate the album. The full dates are below – more info and tickets HERE
Dub War announced their return in March with a single titled Blackkk Man. Released in the midst of the celebration of Black History Month in the US last month, Blackkk Man is a furious revolt against racism and a bleak reflection of crucial events from this decade in particular, including the murder of George Floyd. The accompanying lyric video, compiled and edited by Aran Webster, serves to drive the critical message contained in the lyricism of Blackkk Man further, putting society’s outrageous double standards in plain sight via news footage and articles.
Blackkk Man and their latest singles War Inna Babylon, Vibes In The Place, Get Back Up, and Art Of War launch Dub War back into the industry as the band who turned heads with their ground-breaking, genre-bending once more. Alongside these potent punk rock-laced track, Westgate Under Fire offers up dance infused metal, ragga-punk and sinister metal with exotic beats.
A band born and raised in Newport, Westgate Under Fire shines a light on a crucial event in their hometown’s history, the Newport Uprising. An event which would play a role in transforming democracy in Britain and the world, the uprising in 1839 saw thousands from the Chartist movement march through south Wales, seeking social reform, including the right for men of all classes to vote. The marches ended in a bloody battle at the Westgate Hotel, which saw many of the Chartists dead or wounded. Westgate Under Fire aims to embody the empowerment that Chartists took upon themselves and coincides with the local community resurrecting the derelict Westgate Hotel into an exciting new venue.
Westgate Under Fire is available for pre-order worldwide on signed, limited edition coloured vinyl, black vinyl, signed CD and limited cassette at earache.com/dubwar. Due for release 5th August 2022.
Photo Credit: Aran Webster
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