War in the Time of War: Part Deux
You thought you could get off that easy? With conflict and strife ever-growing in number and barbarity, there is nowhere far enough away that one can retreat to in order to escape entirely. So why even bother? Instead, let us instead embrace war–not in celebrating horrific violence, but by basking in sonic assaults so politely played by these peace pulverizers.
Dolchstoß – Propaganda der Tat (December 11, 2024)
“You do not talk to fascist, you kill fascist!” That is the self-description for raw black/war metal unit Dolchstoß from Leipzig as they lay into the many bodies of fascist invaders. Taking the point of view of resistance fighters raising up arms, or even hammers and sticks, against German soldiers occupying foreign territory, Propaganda der Tat is an “almost” nuanced approach to the genre. I state almost because this is war metal after all, but think more 2nd wave black metal feel merged with war metal machinations and then sit back to let the retribution wash over you.
Hoc Est Bellum – Filth Majesty (June 26)
Punky Finnish war metal with one foot in the old school black metal scene of Scandinavia. If this doesn’t intrigue your overstimulated brain, then what are you even doing here mija? Just as the album title hints at, Hoc Est Bellum play a dripping style of the bestial metal arts, but with a beatdown mentality to accompany the bleakness. And if you find yourself lacking in knowledge about this group, then you also likely missed the drummer’s other grind album from this year in Sewer Altar which may just be my grind AOTY. Oh Finland, you may be ice-cold in climate, but your exports sure do heat the rest of the world with nuclear warmth.
Voregeist – The Brood of Bedlam (July 27)
Enough of all this war from all these white people already! How about we take a glance through the perspective of a new voice in the scene with South Korea’s Voregeist? Releasing 2 EPs this year, this little one-man act sure brings the energy and aesthetics immediately to devastate the listener with musical munitions. While nothing game-changing, again this is war metal we are dealing with; the execution hits all the beats with relentless aggression, vitriolic vocals, and a production that would make ancient white-noise channels from your old antenna blush.
Blood Artillery – Anti-Human Militarism (September 11)
Alright, alright, enough with all this easy-listening I keep sending your way. Let us get to the worst-produced (complimentary) and stripped back example of the genre today. Loose but laborious, brutal but bouncy, and always densely harsh, Blood Artillery is the work of Italian sole member Soul Devourer. Skewing closer to 1st wave legends in songwriting, Anti-Human Militarism is stripped back but always positioned for maximum carnage. Keeping the structures simple while introducing nuances like air-raid sirens or the low whistle of an approaching bomb from the sky is the low-risk, high reward effort that pushes them above the noise.
