ALBUM REVIEW: Die Urkatastrophe – Kanonenfieber
Die Urkatastrophe, the second release by the anonymous black/death metal project KANONENFIEBER, isn’t what you would call an “easy listen”. KANONENFIEBER’s material is solely written and recorded by Noise, who remains unnamed in reference to (and reverence of) “The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier”. This second output follows debut Menschenmühle in adapting the emotional and brutal truths found in “factual reports, letters, and original documents from the surviving and deceased soldiers from the First World War”. It’s a profound undertaking that is completed in earnest and with deep sincerity, with Noise’s great-grandfather’s diary from the frontlines of the Second World War providing some familial inspiration for this harrowing journey through war and its horrors.
While all of this may make for a challenging experience, at the core of Die Urkatastrophe is a well-written and produced album that constantly skirts the line separating black metal and death metal, occasionally landing in melodic death metal territory. The sound that they establish provides a dark, bleak soundtrack which is only amplified by the thematic backdrop of war behind this project’s origins.
What is particularly impressive with Die Urkatastrophe is that this wall of noise produced is the work of one man. After the eerie radio signals over guitar plucking that opens Grossmachtfantasie, Menschenmühle less ramps things into gear as it does burst into frame, blackened metal drumming and rapid guitar providing the backdrop for Noise’s brutal screams and varying refrains of “Deutschland, Deutschland”.
The project has some proximity to Noise’s countrymen in HEAVEN SHALL BURN, with guitarist Maik Weichert guesting on the brilliantly melodic and heavy Waffenbrüder. The similarities in style aren’t one-for-one, but a lot of KANONENFIEBER’s music draws some comparison to the melodic brutality of Weichert‘s main gig. Tracks like Penzerhenker and Sturmtrupp showcase this comparison the most, whereas tracks like Der Maulwurf stride further into black metal territory. The stomping chorus of Gott mit der Kavallerie – while still falling into the more melodic category – has a more AMON AMARTH vitality to it, albeit replacing the more fantastical elements with a more serious, modern-world inspiration.
As Die Urkatastrophe builds towards its climax, the short interlude Verdun plucks away solemnly while radio sounds and distant explosions pop and crackle in the background over some more German dialogue. As this fades out, the opening death metal punch of Ausblutungsschlacht interrupts the silence with pained screams and pounding drums. The orchestral strings over the chorus section elevates this greatly, before the track fades into the slower, more pensive Als die Waffen Kamen.
Die Urkatastrophe is a challenging, if not explicitly painful, release by KANONENFIEBER that explores the complex subject area of the First and Second World Wars. It’s not necessarily unique for these topics to be explored musically, but KANONENFIEBER’s use of their familial ties to the experience and the musical transcription of first-hand experiences of the frontlines add mountains of sincerity and passion to what would already be a brilliant death/black metal album.
Rating: 8/10
Die Urkatastrophe is set for release on September 20th via Century Media Records.
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