Human history is one of many spectacular feats, inventions, and enduring spirit. On the contrary, it’s also tragically stained by destruction, greed, bloodlust, and war. That darker side of us has many examples – one of the most infamous is World War I. A horrible conflict that cost millions upon millions of lives. This point in time has been the subject of a few bands in the metal spectrum – 1914 and Minenwerfer immediately come to mind – all showing the horrors of The Great War with their own sonic stylizations. Germany’s Kanonenfieber hits home in a particularly poignant and unfiltered way.
The mysterious artist known only as Noise has excelled with all three of his projects – Non Est Deus and Leiþa being his other vehicles – each representing a differing purview into his mind. For Kanonenfieber, a craftily constructed melodic black/death metal hybrid, the messaging has been just as strong as the accompanying musical expression. Debuting with Menschenmühle in 2021, the project has quickly evolved into a theatrical live powerhouse (complete with a traveling museum of artifacts) amongst a consistent flow of new music. With several singles/EPs following said first full-length, including Trevor Strnad’s (RIP) last recording on the brilliant “The Yankee Division March” – there has been plenty to hold one over in anticipation of a second album. Wait no longer, as Die Urkatastrophe has emerged from the trenches, bringing a mature and soul-crushing work that will further elevate Kanonenfieber in the metal lexicon.
Partnering with Century Media for Die Urkatastrophe wasn’t expected, with all of Noise’s projects thus far being released on Noisbringer Records. Thus being an example of the project’s deepening boot print on the metal scene. Die Urkatastrophe continues delivering gritty, real examples of horror and tragedy from World War I in a cautionary and reflective tone, all in a grandiose sound profile wrapped in gritty black metal. Opener “Menschenmühle” describes the violent delusion of the early 20th century German war machine in the guise of an overview of the conflict as a whole. The damning chorus – entirely in German, though a synopsis and a full English translation are provided by Noise – rings loudly amongst blistering guitar onslaughts, drenched in dreary melodies and razor sharp riffs that are heavy as they are hypnotic. One cannot envision the album starting off in a more sobering and memorable manner.
Dialing up the melody is the occasionally uptempo “Sturmtrupp,” which describes the Attacks on High Wood with grim realism. The aforementioned melodies are sublime, mixing with crunchy rhythms and Noise’s singular raspy snarl. His vocal ability continues to expand, adding new touches of weightiness in his exhilarating voicings. The mood on this track twists between pure energy and reflection, as the slick blackened death metal offensive rumbles along with accents of haunting trench whistles.
“Der Maulwurf” is one of two songs thus far to feature an accompanying video, telling the story of miners turned into tunnelers, with the goal of digging strategic burrows underneath enemy trenches with the goal of detonating large quantities of explosives in a surprise attack. A stunningly raw recalling of the frightening conditions these people endured, where sadly many never came back from due to tunnel collapse, conflict with tunnelers from the other side, and suicide (the tragic fate expressed here). Musically weighty and filled with tension, cutting leads and thunderous rhythms, this ranks highly amongst the best tracks created under the Kanonenfieber moniker.
“Waffenbrüder” carries a particularly sorrowful emotional tinge of childhood friends who didn’t all return, conveyed by a heavy death metal leaning, layered with dizzying tremolos and chanted vocal lines. Differently, “Gott mit der Kavallerie” slightly pulls back the pace via blackened doom inspired pieces in its telling of the Battle of Halen, while “Panzerhenker” oozes old school death metal by way of thick, chunky riffage ala the mighty Bolt Thrower with a black metal flavoring. “Verdun” serves as a somber introduction using spoken word recordings over light orchestral strings to transition into “Ausblutungsschlacht”; chronicling the long and bloody Battle of Verdun, highlighted sonically with a mid-paced gallop and layered guitar work that emphasizes appropriately bleak, melancholic resonance of what was one of the most catastrophic battles in recorded history.
Die Urkatastrophe moves briskly through its 50 minute run time, with each track giving a deep glimpse into the chosen subject matter, whilst musically raging a harrowing path ever forward. Kanonenfieber’s brand of melodic black/death isn’t a style that’s exactly new or incredibly innovative, but one that’s more potent and memorable than most attempts at creating music within this space.
Taking Die Urkatastrophe as a whole shows an ambitious nuanced, thought provoking composition that’s pensive and stirring at every single moment, invoking a wide array of feelings via a soundtrack of menacing, virulent melodic black/death metal that is as effective and indelible as any release that will grace any ear this year and well beyond. Noise has concocted a work that’s delightfully vicious and further refined in comparison to Kanonenfieber’s releases thus far. It’s bigger, heavier, more spectacular with increased musical diversity. Finding any deficiencies is quite the task, and there’s nothing that sticks out that could be categorized as anything but extreme nitpicking.
As someone who has had an interest in and studied history since they were very young, the level of care and accuracy that was put into Die Urkatastrophe is refreshing and desperately needed these days. Enjoy this important piece of music, and if you get even a fraction of what yours truly has received from this majestic album, you’ll be spinning it over and over. A defining triumph of heavy music and how impactful it can be.