ALBUM REVIEW: Fatalis (The Unbroken Circle) – Commander

Munich’s COMMANDER have been blasting their way through Germany’s metal scene since the turn of the century, releasing a handful of impressive demos and strong albums, while making a name for themselves in the German live circuit. Sharing the stage with their legendary countrymen DESTRUCTION and DEW-SCENTED, Polish juggernauts BEHEMOTH and Tampa death metal heroes OBITUARY. After a decade long break between albums, the quartet are set to release their long-awaited third offering – Fatalis (The Unbroken Circle).

COMMANDER offer a sound very reminiscent of death metal’s founding fathers – from a single listen through Fatalis, the influence of early DEATH, CANNIBAL CORPSE and MALEVELANT CREATION shine through. Death metal fans looking for an abundance of technical flair, symphonics, or beatdowns will be left sorely disappointed, but those who appreciate the sound of the early days of death metal, with its thrash tendencies, groove-drenched swagger, crushing heaviness and grinding speed will find a lot to enjoy with COMMANDER’s sound.

Fatalis (The Unbroken Circle) pulls no punches, opening with the devastating title track. There’s no room for an atmosphere building intro, or an ease into the chaos – COMMANDER dive straight into a sinister riff before unleashing blast beat driven, classic sound old-school death metal. Having opened the record on a high, COMMANDER continue to raise the bar with the one-two punch of Locust Infestation and Chaos Awakening. The former delivers a decisively classic death metal sound, mixing the unrestrained brutality with a thrashy flourish and hints of melody, while Chaos Awakening focuses on a more groove-focused brand of heavy.

Following a strong start,  Fatalis (The Unbroken Circle) hits a slump as it approaches the mid-way point. The mid-paced New Slave Democracy falls short of the mark, suffering from a lack of flare and memorability. The 6 minute beast Insidious Greed brings things back in focus, but the following Invidia and Superbia fail to capitalise on its ambition and scale – not bad songs, but lacking a certain dynamic that the majority of Fatalis holds. With the closing songs on the album, COMMANDER manage to bounce back to the strength displayed earlier, but deliver arguably two of the best songs the album has to offer. An acoustic intro with a slight eastern vibe leads into And Death Swings His Scythe. And Death Swings His Scythe sounds huge, with an oppressive atmosphere COMMANDER stays rooted in a groove that crushes the listener under its weight. Closing Fatalis, they unleash Shattered Existence – coming in at high the run time of And Death Swings His Scythe, the band bring the speed and ferocity to the forefront, ending the record on a brutal high.

Though Fatalis (The Unbroken Circle) suffers from a touch of a lack of memorability and issues with consistency, there is otherwise a lot to enjoy here. Don’t let the smooth production fool you – it may not be raw, it may not have been recorded in 1990, but this is old school death metal. Savage, unrelenting riffs, stomping grooves and ferocity all come together over the course of Fatalis to deliver a solid body of work. The album suffers from a lack of hooks, and the polished production may dissuade some purists, but COMMANDER have unleashed an album that far surpasses their work in the 2000s, and shows a lot of promise for the future of the band.

Rating: 8/10

Fatalis (The Unbroken Circle) is out now via Black Sunset/MDD Records.

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