Landungsfeldmassaker

Have Hail of Bullets returned with a new album featuring Martin van Drunen on vocals again? That was my first thought when I heard the first song of “Landungsfeldmassaker” by the German death metal commando Aschenvater. This might sound a bit negative, but while it is pretty obvious who the idols of these four young gentlemen are this fact does not take anything away from the pure enjoyment I got out of listening to this 27 minutes debut album/EP. Fans of the mentioned band or other mid-tempo groovers like Bolt Thrower should immediately stop reading and head over to their shop to get a copy as you will have a hard time finding something in this vein done better.

Innovation can be important in a lot of circumstances, but we metal fans often are a stubborn and old fashioned bunch. If a formula has been great in the past why completely overhaul it and risk producing something lacking? I am interested in following new trends as well, but when it comes to music what really matters to me is to get some top notch songs and have a quality time listening to them. Aschenvater managed to produce this kind of unstoppable and banging old school death metal to a T. Not only this, they show a level of maturity and an aim for polish which is often missing when new acts try to enter the scene. Their music is raw and unfiltered, but not rough around the edges.

A short ambient intro section is leading into the first set of menacing riffs, slowly building up the tension. After two minutes the first real track “Sturmreif // Der Verräterkönig” kicks in and the tanks start rolling. The main chords are heavy and stoic while the blasting gives the song the right amount of urgency. While driven by superb groove and rhythmic battery, the lead work does not fall short in adding something worthwhile to the music with notable skills being showcased. The next track starts slowly and produces the same kind of dragging and ominous feeling Aspyhx (or Hail of Bullets) have always been so great at setting up. After a while the tempo is upped once again and the lads keep sawing away. Monstrous riffs and drums concoct a storm of vibrant and stomping hooks throughout the whole playing time, making sure there is not one moment of boredom.

Not only the riff work and the overall patterns of the music is reminiscent of the mentioned star names, but also the vocals of singer Oliver give his obvious idol a good run for the money. Martin van Drunen surely has to be one of my favorite death metal vocalists of all time, still going strong while slowly approaching his 60th birthday. In case he ever decides to retire Asphyx should give Oliver a call as he has a similar style of spitting out the words in scabious and powerful manner. He even manages to reproduce this kind of hysterical phrasing MvD sometimes use to get even more grit into his performance and highlight the intensity of certain sections with ease.

So what else can be said? The production is fantastic, very powerful and clear while not sounding too sterile. The guitars have a nice buzzing tone, the drums pack a good bunch and the combination of distorted might and room for each detail is something a lot of the bigger names struggle to get right. All in all “Landungsfeldmassaker” might not suddenly turn anyone into a fan of the genre who has not been so before. That being said this album is an abyssal slab of death metal warfare that is phenomenally well-crafted, especially taking into account we talk about a completely new band here. Highly recommended.