Yankee Division

After the monumental Menschenmühle, Kanonenfieber returns with an EP consisting of only two songs, a pattern that will continue in future. Yankee Division’s lyrical content specifically deals with the United States’ entry into the first world war.

With Kanonenfieber’s debut, Noise cemented himself as a masterful musician capable of creating outstanding music. The question is, how do you follow up such a masterpiece? Not with an album just one short year after the first, but with an EP that doesn’t have the same expectations as a full-length does. And even though this release doesn’t have to live up to Menschenmühle, it definitely does. With that release Kanonenfieber found a sound that worked, and with Yankee Division he doubled down on this specific sound. The fact that this EP is very musically similar to its predecessor, is by no means a bad thing. There is a clear reason as to why Menschenmühle was such a hit.

The first song ‘The Yankee Division March’ is probably one of my lyrically favorite Kanonenfieber songs. It’s about a battle told from the perspectives of both the German and American troops, the lyrics based on reports from both sides. The German parts are sung by Noise, while the English parts are sung by the late and great Trevor Strnad. It begins with a sample of 1917 American war song ‘Over There,’ which immediately makes it known what this song is gonna be about. This then breaks into an almost atmospheric and melodic intro, which results in the first verse, built around a tremolo riff, with some sudden pauses in the music, which gives the lines a certain punch to them. While some parts where it feels like the music is marching forward are present, the second track wholly revolves around these sections, with some melodic, and driving guitarwork sprinkled in here and there.

Yankee Division is an EP that can’t be described as anything but amazing. It solidifies Kanonenfieber as one of the best metal bands around, proving that Menschenmühle wasn’t just a one-off thing.