Kanonenfieber – Die Urkatastrophe
Release Date: 20th September 2024
Label: Century Media
Bandcamp
Genre: Blackened Death Metal
FFO: 1914, Minenwerfer, Insomnium.
Review By: Jeff Finch
Music whose focus is war comes in many forms: power metal ala Sabaton, death metal from Bolt Thrower, blackened death metal courtesy of 1914, the sounds run the gamut, but all bring the hell of war to the masses with their music. Today’s focus, Kanonenfieber, focuses on WWI like 1914, and the band came to be when mastermind Noise read a diary of his great-grandfather, who was on the frontlines of WWI. Authentic experiences render this band one of the forerunners of the “war metal” sub-genre and this newest record Die Urkatastrophe sees Noise just upping the intensity, providing an onslaught of blackened death metal whose historical lyrics and focus does its best to bring listeners to the front lines of the early 1900s.
Now, I don’t know German, so the lyrics won’t be addressed, but suffice it to say they are war based, something that can be gleaned from the bevy of sound clips used on this record; static leading into a wartime speech on opener Grossmachtfantasie, the cries of Deutschland (Germany) during Menschenmuehle, shotgun blasts that transition us into blistering musicianship on Der Maulwurf, the hints are there for anyone who had doubts about the content who completely glossed over the cover art. And the onslaught of blackened death metal that Noise has brought to every release from the band thus far is there the whole time to render us exhausted by the horrors of war that have been painted for us by the time all is said and done.
The pure energy and intensity that emanates from the speakers on this is something wicked to behold, especially knowing that Noise has done this himself; yes, Kanonenfieber is a one-man band, and at points it’s simply awe-inspiring to hear the soundscapes this one man has created that allows the music to stand out in a sub-genre rife with excellent musical acts. Tremolo riffs, rapid fire double bass drumming yielding to a quick blast beat, this greets us almost immediately on Menschenmuehle, a track that rarely relents from its insane pace; even once the pace has driven past the chorus, the maelstrom of pure speed takes over, triplet riffs and triplet kicks hammering us at every turn, the lyrics, German though they may be in, spewed with venom, the perfect blend of rasp mixed with a high shriek, while the tempo shifts are performed to perfection, triplets changing over to machine gun blasts in the snap of a finger.
Lviv zu Lemberg surprises the ears with an opening riff straight out of the Killswitch Engage playbook, a throaty, raspy scream over that clean riff and double bass yielding a track similar to a rock solid metalcore song for a spell, before, inevitably, switching to those technical stop start fills the band has peppered us with thus far. The chorus hits us as a wall of sound, that super clean riff leading the way, almost a bit higher in the mix just to stand out, as the mix shifts to drums a bit louder while the riffs takes a bit of a backseat, the vocals always on that same soundwave. Lighting quick tremolo riffs with nasty vocals completely remove the sense of melody for a spell, eviscerating everything with just pure aggression, the melodious hooks coming back to give the album a grandiose feel, the quieter moments leading into one hell of a solo taking place in the background before giving way to the main melody one last time to close out the track.
Panzerhenker, later in the album, pulls one hell of a surprise out of its arsenal, as there is a moment where the group slows down and the vocals go primal, into a low, deep, death growl, displaying such ferocity in such a quick burst that the band could be mistaken as a doom band for how monstrous it sounds. Such a hefty series of moments makes the pure black metal viciousness that ends the track even more sensational, the band transitioning in and out of different subgenres without missing a beat or sounding forced in any way.
While up to, and including, this point listeners have been mercilessly beaten by riffs and speed and anger and intensity, Kanonenfieber ends the album in a beat of a different manner and tone. Verdun is a mere-spoken word track, an eerie interlude to give us one minute of breath before we take on the penultimate track Ausblutungsschlacht, a track that continues to showcase their power when they stay in that mid-pace groove, a dip in speed the only change, as the heaviness of the song cannot be overstated when the band is this laser focused on a groove. There’s a constant, consistent shift in sound and pace all throughout this one, the changeovers to simple riffs and old German speeches really fun to hear, lending to the realism factor the band strives for, much like their Ukrainian counterparts 1914. The tail end of the track finds a string section and orchestral elements adding to the ever evolving soundscapes we’ve heard so far, operatic singing peeking out from behind the pummelling double bass, one final explosion greeting us to end the song as piano is overlayed with sporadic gunfire, fading to black, the perfect ending to a song that transitions into the acoustic finale, Als die Waffen kamen. Sounding a bit like Pink Floyd at points, especially with the vocal layering, this feels as though it was the only proper way to end the record; after nearly an hour of musical war, we’re tired. We’re tired of war, of fighting, just tired in general, and the string section has come back to see us off, mournful in tone but hopeful in the mind.
Noise positively nailed this one; taking everything that has made the band so beloved and critically acclaimed, and refining it, adding to it, sitting with it, has yielded one of the finest war themed records I’ve heard, easily among the best blackened death metal albums this year. Kanonenfieber is a force to be reckoned with in death metal, bringing blistering musicianship with relevant lyrics and a seemingly unending well of ideas from mastermind Noise, and Die Urkatastrophe is all the proof you’ll need.
(4.5 / 5)
