Kanonenfieber – Die Urkatastrophe Review: “…Kanonenfieber blew me away with this new release.”
Out of all the newer extreme metal bands out there, Kanonenfieber is the one that has left the most impact on me. When I discovered Kanonenfieber’s debut album, Menschenmüle, I described their sound as Bolt Thrower-worship black metal but in German. It was when I Googled the band that I got an appreciation for them; how Noise, the sole member, discovered his great-grandfather’s diary from WWI and used music to take a glimpse into the horrors of war. During live shows, Noise and the rest of the band wear face coverings to represent the nameless and faceless of those who serve in war.
When I saw Kanonenfieber was releasing a new album, I was looking forward to it. Not surprisingly, Kanonenfieber blew me away with this new release. While Die Urkatastrophe is as brutal as the first, it’s more versatile. This album unleashes melodic riffing and catchy hooks, honing on their black metal influences. Like war, Die Urkatastrophe is unpredictable in many ways, yet it never downplays the violent and somber atmosphere.
Another standout quality I noticed is the improvement in production. That’s thanks to Kristian Kohle. I listened to Menschenmüle and Die Urkatastrophe while writing this review, and the new album sounds cleaner and crisper without sacrificing brutality. Noise’s vocals stand out, and the drums blend in better with the guitars.
If you’re familiar with Kanonenfieber’s music, you know the spoken word parts in German that set the stage for the insanity to come. Die Urkatastrophe is no different. The album starts with the spoken word “Grossmachtfantasie,” which takes an excerpt from the speech “Ansprache zu Beginn des Ersten Weltkriegs” (“Speech at the Beginning of the First World War”) by Reichstagspräsident Kaempf. The song then explodes into “Menschemühle.”
One of my favorite aspects about this new album is how Kanonenfieber features some seriously catchy parts. We hear that in “Menschemühle.” While the song starts with rapid drumming and black metal-esque riffs, the chanty chorus gives into wider riffs. At this point, this song becomes unpredictable. Fast black metal picking and spastic drumming mix with chanting, making this the most stand-out track in Kanonenfieber’s discography.
This album is unpredictable in many ways. While Kanonenfieber holds their classic blackened death sound, they also introduce more melody. The song “Waffenbrüder” is an example. This song uses more melodic black metal riffing to create a somber atmosphere. “Waffenbrüder” features guitarist Maik Weichert (Heaven Shall Burn), so it’s no surprise that this track zeroes in on melody without taking away any ferociousness. This track has no bells or whistles; it’s a straightforward and well-written song with enough melody and hooks to keep things interesting. What more do you need in a song?
“Panzerhenker” is another stand-out track. Grooves are injected in the opening riffs, and the song morphs into rapid chaos. The groovy riffs continue making comebacks. Things slow down even more toward the middle of the song with chugging riffs, slamming drums, and guttural vocals.
Things go melodic again with “Ritter der Lüfte.” The riffs are catchy, but the swift drumming gives this song life. While this is one of the weaker songs, it does balance out the many influences on this album.
The speech interlude “Verdun” gives way to “Ausblutungsschlacht,” one of the most intense tracks on the album. The vocals stand out; Noise enunciates certain syllables (such as “EIN RosenKRANZ”), giving you chills down your spine. Paired with the blast beats, this song immediately pulls you in and keeps you trapped in its grip. The music continues getting faster and more aggressive with the chorus. A spoken word part briefly breaks up the song in the middle, but the song goes right back to the intense enunciations and blast beats until the end.
One of my favorite Kanonenfieber songs off Menschenmüle is the last song “Verscharrt und ungerühmt.” This is a beautiful acoustic song, yet it adds to the despair that the album conveys. I was happy to see there’s another acoustic song on Die Urkatastrophe. The final song, “Als die Waffen kamen,” is even more sorrowful yet breathtaking. Noise unleashes his most emotional clean singing, which will bring tears to your eyes.
For the sake of the band’s message, here are some of the lyrics (I used Google Translate and my little knowledge of the German language for the English lyrics):
“Mann an Mann im Sturm gereiht
So viele Meter, so wenig Zeit
Schuss um Schuss in uns versenkt
Wie von Todeshand gelenkt”
(“Man to man lined up in the storm
So many meters, so little time
Shot after shot sunk into us
As if controlled by the hand of death”)
I highly suggest everyone read the lyrics and translate them if needed. The lyrics and the song’s delivery make this song so much more impactful.
Die Urkatastrophe has many similar qualities to the debut. This album is fierce and energetic. It weaves in songs of the horrors of war along with WWI speech sound clips. But this new album is so much more. It features more melodic riffing, catchy hooks, and a somber atmosphere than their first album, Menschenmüle. Production on Die Urkatastrophe is infinitely better, thanks to Kristian Kohle. Die Urkatastrophe takes what Meinschenmüle achieved, making it more harrowing and destructive. That’s ultimately why Die Urkatastrophe is the most impactful Kanonenfieber album.
Rating: 10/10
Pre-order Die Urkatastrophe here.
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