Flames, concussions, and the horror of mechanized slaughtering – Death Kommander’s new album “Pro Patria Mori” combines it all into a 49-minute-long debut, which immediately reminds the listener that Old School Death Metal is far from old or dead and the mighty Bolt Thrower may have a worthy successor!
Tony “Demolition Man” Dolan from Venom Inc. and Patrick “Frugi” Herrsche from Messiah round up the album with guest appearances on the first and last song, adding another layer to the already very volatile release and make it even more interesting.
The album can be divided into two parts – the first slower worship of groovy riffs, and the second, more daring and faster attack on enemy trenches. The variety and length of the album are making the album worth multiple listening iterations where every time something new can be discovered.
The album has been released digitally on the 01.01.2021 and physically on the 26.01.2021 through Warhorn Records.
The album starts off with an Intro where the similarity to the legendary Bolt Thrower already springs to mind like a foot mine. As the needle jumps off, the first Tunes of War attack the musical battlefield and advance with a Steel Reaper through the Incoming Death – two songs with multiple layers of advancing technology. Especially the end of Incoming Death arises again from the rubble and presents the listener with growls full of despair.
Groovy riffs and slow headbanging parts continue in Shock Trooper and challenge the neck muscles before the advancement of a rolling riff machine titled Mechanized Warfare.
Like in every battle, the turning point starts with Unnamed Grave, which mixes typical Bolt Thrower with long growls of despair and melodic lines that are building up to the end of the song where even the baldest listener will feel hair flying through the air.
Play of Death and Flanders Blues are the more daring side of the album, where catchy melodies lead the listener dancing through the mine field in no man’s land.
As the battle is approaching the end, the Flamethrower is clearing out with a bass intro that leaves no person standing in front of the trenches. The spark is so catchy that you can even hear the incinerated corpses shouting “FLAMETHROWER”!
A last undertaking is The March, with changing tempo and versatile vocal deployment. It stands out as a more modern interpretation of Death Metal without forgetting its roots in horror and despair.
All that follows now is the bleak end of the story. Tony “Demolition Man” Dolan’s voice marks the sharp contrast and takes over the role of a narrator, concluding that for the deceased there is no honour, nor glory – Pro Patria Mori.
FEBRVVM has released a music video of the title track of its debut LP "Apokatastasis".
The song mixes alternative metal with gothic rock and industrial influences and alludes to both Stoic and Christian concepts of "apokatastasis" (restoration and universal salvation).
On April 16th, Cannibal Corpse will release their fifteenth studio album, Violence Unimagined, via Metal Blade Records. For a first preview of the record, the new single "Inhumane Harvest" can be heard at: metalblade.com/cannibalcorpse - where Violence Unimagined is also available for pre-order in the following formats:
- digipak-CD
- deluxe edition artbook (48-page hardcover book includes: CD, crimson red marbled vinyl, flag, patch, and sticker)
- coke bottle clear / swamp green color in color vinyl (Decibel exclusive)
- bone / red color in color vinyl (US exclusive)
- white / olive green melt vinyl (US exclusive)
- beer w/ red splatter vinyl (US exclusive)
Comprised of eleven tracks, Violence Unimagined is state of the art death metal played with passion and breathless precision, making for another flawless addition to what is inarguably one of the premier catalogues the genre has thrown up. "It really follows the path we've been going down for a few years now," states bassist and founding member Alex Webster. "I think we approach the writing in a similar way most every time: each of us try to write the heaviest, most memorable songs we can. We want each song to have its own identifiable character. Showing my age, I like to say you can 'drop the needle' on any point of one of our albums and quickly tell which song you're listening to."
While they continue to do what they do with aplomb, the one substantial change to Cannibal Corpse is the addition of guitarist Erik Rutan to their ranks, joining Webster, founding drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz, guitarist Rob Barrett and vocalist George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher. Known for his roles in Morbid Angel, Ripping Corpse and most notably fronting the mighty Hate Eternal, Rutan has long established himself as one of the most dynamic forces in contemporary death metal. Simultaneously, he has built up a reputation as one of the most in demand producers in metal, having previously produced four Cannibal Corpse albums (in addition to Violence Unimagined), alongside the likes of Goatwhore, Soilent Green and Belphegor. Filling in live on guitar since 2019, in 2020 he became a full member, contributing to the writing process. "I think the most noticeable difference on this record will be the addition of Erik to the band. He wrote three full songs for the record, music and lyrics, and his song writing and guitar playing have added something new, and I think his musical style integrated into ours very well," Webster enthuses. This is not all that he brings to the band. "He's a great friend of ours, so on a personal level, he's been a perfect fit, as we knew he would be. Beyond that, he's one of the hardest working people I know, in music or otherwise, and he maintains a high energy, positive demeanor in challenging situations where other people might go in a negative direction. This energy and great attitude rubs off on the rest of us as well. That's really a perfect situation to have when you add someone to a band, or any kind of team: someone who's great at what they do, and also inspires the people around them."
Already well known for the level of extreme technicality they bring to every record, on Violence Unimagined, Cannibal Corpse have further upped their game, particularly in Mazurkiewicz's drumming. "I think we all pushed ourselves a bit technically on this one, with Paul probably pushing the hardest. This album is probably the most drum-intense album we've done yet. Part of that could be a result of Erik joining the band. His song writing style often features technically challenging drumming, probably owing to his years of experience in high speed death metal." And with typically dark and warped lyrical content, Mazurkiewicz came up with the fitting title of the record, "summing up what the band is about in every facet, and taking violence to another level of extremity."
Blackened extreme metal band The Noctambulant will reveal their new album HELLRAZOR on March 5 2021. The album is the follow up to their critically acclaimed "The Cold and Formless Void" which was released in 2019.
Band frontman E. Helvete commented "The goal of this next release was to connect with the audience in a more authentic way. We feel Hellrazor is a more genuine example of who we are as a band, and where we are from as individuals."
