Die Urkatastrophe

Up until this point, Kanonenfieber has only released EP’s in order to not rush Menschenmühle’s successor, as Noise wanted to deliver something that would be as great as that release, without sounding like a copy of that album. His goal has definitely been reached with Die Urkatastrophe, an album that has the same feel as its predecessor, but still sounds unique within the band’s discography.

The album opens with ‘Grossmachtsfantasie,’ which essentially acts as an extension of the next track and first single ‘Menschenmühle.’ This is supported by the fact that this track is also present in the lyric video for this track. The opener sets the tone of the album, being an atmospheric track containing a sample of a WW1 speech, something that Kanonenfieber likes to do a lot, and is something we are going to see multiple times throughout this record.

When it comes to the music itself, it is not something new and groundbreaking within the realm of the Kanonenfieber sound. The album is very similar to the band’s other releases, especially productionwise. The production is basically identical to that of Menschenmühle, but that is only a good thing, as everything is crystal clear, while still sounding immensely heavy. This record explores all of the different aspects of Kanonenfieber, some songs like ‘Der Maulwurf’ are very melodic and reminiscent of the Der Füsilier EP, while others such as ‘Panzerhenker’ are heavier and groovier, more like the U-Bootsmann EP. These two EP’s represent the two extremes of the musical spectrum of Kanonenfieber, and songs from this album are found all over this spectrum, which makes for a very varied listening experience. While I like songs from both extremes, I find the best songs on the album are those that blend both sides evenly, like ‘Stormtrupp’ and ‘Lviv zu Lemberg.’

Die Urkatastrophe is a perfect successor to Menschenmühle, as it feels like a natural progression of the sound first established on that album, and is just as masterfully executed. Some tracks call back to the predecessor, like ‘Waffenbrüder’ that feels a lot like ‘Grabenlieder.’ Although I still prefer the band’s debut over this album, it is still a close battle between the two. One key element that separates the two records though, is the general feel. Die Urkatastrophe is very grandiose and is definitely better fit for live settings than Menschenmühle. The penultimate song ‘Ausblutungsschlacht’ even has symphonic elements that only adds to this grandiosity.

Noise is definitely one of the most talented musicians of our time, his songwriting skills are just downright incredible, and along with his mastery of guitars, bass, and drums, he creates masterpiece after masterpiece like its second nature to him. In the time between this album and Kanonenfieber’s debut, he has released four full-lengths with other projects, and three EP’s with this band, and still manages to make Die Urkatastrophe as astounding as Menschenmühle.

The guitar work is nothing but amazing, and the drums only amplify the greatness. Just listen to the bass drums during the track ‘Menschenmühle.’ The bass is very audible, but does not take too much attention, and it works incredibly well during the parts where it is isolated. The vocals are probably the least noteworthy part of this album, even though they are great, they just are not very unique within the confines of extreme metal. My favorite part of the debut was how well it captured the feeling of war, and this is a trend that continues with this release. Many of the songs have a very marching feel, mostly due to the drums, and they all have this certain uncompromising intensity, you are not allowed to let down your guard at any point, except for the interlude ‘Verdun.’ This album is entirely focused on the unforgiving nature of war, and while this is mostly expressed through the sheer heaviness of the music, it hits quite an emotional note with the amazing ‘Waffenbrüder.’

The album ends with ‘Als die Waffen kamen,’ an acoustic track very similar to the closing track of Menschenmühle, ‘Verscharrt und ungerühmt.’ This is the perfect ending to the album, as it feels very melancholic, like a reflection upon the horrors of the war. It feels like a song written back in the time of WW1, and something tells me that was also the intent.

Die Urkatastrophe is yet another masterpiece that contributes to Kanonenfieber’s perfect discography, as is an incredibly close contender for album of the year. Noise is a musician worthy of nothing but praise, the fact that he has managed to create yet another release that is near the level of Menschenmühle is simply astonishing. If you have somehow not heard this album yet, do yourself a favor and get to it.

Highlight tracks: Stormtrupp, Lviv zu Lemberg, Panzerhenker