Wunderwaffen

The filming of Iron Sky has just been concluded. This new film from the makers of the epic ‘Star Wreck’ movie deals with the story of Nazis from Space. After the WW2 and with the defeat at hand, they flew to the Dark Side of the Moon, only to establish a new base and wait for the right time to take revenge. They did not all hide out in “Neu Schwabenland”, because it is too freaking cold out there, but maybe Global Warming will change this and free the other Nazis from their icy prison; suggestion for the next album: Nazi zombies that have been mutated by the Elder Ones and are finally freed from the eternal ice of Antarctica.

Anyway, the American old-school raw underground anti-modern black metal band’s new output continues in style where the other releases have left of. The music is generally quite simplistic and even ‘longer’ – 3:25 is the maximum – compositions, like they can be found on Wunderwaffen, are nothing but a further ‘celebration’ of one idea over a longer course of the track. In terms of the difference of the compositions also this is kept in certain boundaries. As such, each of the tracks is a ‘celebration’ of one concept, whose amount of facets twitches in respect of the actual style which the elements can be found on this release. Now a bit more bass, now a solo – some are actually quite neat – and now a bit too monotonous and enduring song-writing.

The fascination of this release stems from its overall atmosphere and spirit. Black metal in vein of the very old days and presented with an attitude that leaves nothing but a smile on the side of the listener. It should be noted that especially the lyrics and how they are presented here create a certain amount of charming touch to the whole performance. Unlike a lot of other black metal bands, the vocals appear in such a way as to make it possible actually understand what is going on here. Mulciber – the sole person behind Kosmokrater – uses a mixture between fast speaking and croaking, which enables anyone with some basic knowledge of English to understand the content of the lyrics.

Compared with other releases of this band, this one is actually some sort of fun. The background combined with a strange ‘I do not give a fuck attitude’ works nicely together.

Final note:
For someone from Germany it is always amusing to hear non-natives speak our language.

Those familiar with Kosmokrater's very lofi sound already know whether they this bands overall sound or not, people who were not pleased with the bands previous will not be converted to the fanbase with this release. That being said Wunderwaffen is an improvement over the bands back catalog. Most of the songs play at less than three minutes and there isn't a dull moment to be had. The album has a unique concept in terms of lyrical themes. Every song is related to extraterrestrial contact of the Third Reich.

One of the first things that grabs your attention when listening to the album is Timpaler's extremely unique snarl. It is safe to say that not many within the genre have such a distinct voice. Just because a voice is unique doesn't necessarily mean everyone will enjoy it. The vocal approach will probably determine whether this album will get replays or not for most listeners. The vocals are delivered clearly enough that every lyric featured on the album is easy to distinguish but it still manages to be somewhat harsh in sound. Imagine if Cronos and Mustaine fused together and got ahold of a microphone.

As previously mentioned the guitarwork featured on Wunderwaffen is very primitive. Some of the riffs have a punk edge that adds an interesting flavor to the overall sound. Though some riffs may be a bit too repetitive for their own good the album never drags enough to make it unseasonable or a chore to sit through. A good portion of the tremolo picking manages to be quite catchy. The majority of the playing on the record is tremolo picked but fortunately the runtime is only twenty minutes, so the album actual goes by quite fast and never drags too much.

The drum programming featured on the album is the only major downfall of the release. The hi-hat is on constant blast and it gets very grating after a couple tracks. The bass manages to give the album a bit of a chunky, heavy sound but overall the mix is just too focused on the high end of the spectrum. Throwing more variation into the drum programming would improve future releases in a gigantic way, getting an actual drummer is also never a bad route to go.

With this release it is clear Timpaler has taken a step in the right direction and with a little tweaking in some of the mixing and a bit more variation Kosmokrater could become a great project. As for now the band is clearly on the right track. Only time will tell if Timpaler can continue to blaspheme his way to more entertaining releases.

The same day when I picked up this CD at my post-office I also got some tapes, but "Wunderwaffen" was the first thing that I decided to check that evening. That's not because I am a Kosmokrater fan, but because I was intrigued by unusual lyrical themes: as it is written in the booklet, this album explores "the saucer craft and extraterrestrial contact of the Third Reich". So, if the previous Kosmokrater releases were about black magic rites in the forests with a tinge of horror and dark fantasy, then this time the listener should picture in his or her imagination Nazi gentlemen performing their clandestine rituals and scientific experiments at Wewelsburg castle and at secret bases in Antarctica. Also, there is a note stating that "Kosmokrater is nonpolitical", so this album should be perceived simply as an expression of Mulciber's admiration for the stories about Haunebu, Wunderwaffen and the stuff.

Speaking about music, one shouldn't expect any radical changes in Kosmokrater's sound, but I can say that "Wunderwaffen" is better thought-out and not so improvisational comparing to the previous albums, and even the bass most of the time goes in line with the guitar. Maybe drum-machine is a bit lame here, but it's mostly buried in the background and doesn't attract much attention. Composition-wise, Timpaler Von Mulciber keeps the simplicity and primitivity of the previous albums, and this time his short and punkish songs even more than before evoke the associations with Ildjarn. If Ildjarn would have lived in the USA and listened to some American punk, his music would probably sound like Kosmokrater. Indeed, "Wunderwaffen" doesn't have that feeling of coldness and darkness of Norwegian woods and mountains, but instead it smacks of nonchalance and light-heartedness of American citizens with a tinge of passion for some "dark" themes. In the USA something similar has been already done by the bands like Bone Awl and Furdidurke, but Kosmokrater still has something that makes it stand out. This "something" is perhaps some "old-school-ness", which is particularly emphasized by the presence of old-school styled guitar solos, and, of course, Mulciber's original vocals. Vocals are legible, so you can understand the words without reading the lyrics (there are no lyrics in the booklet, but they can be found on Kosmokrater's Metal Archives page), but Mulciber obviously has the problems with pronouncing German titles like "Die Glocke" or "Neu Schwabenland": he simply pronounces them in English manner, which can arouse a smile in those who know German. Well, that's a characteristic feature of Americans to ignore other languages' pronunciation rules, but that's a different story, ha-ha.

"Wunderwaffen" is definitely the best Kosmokrater release so far. It's only 20 minutes long, and the album is repeated twice on the CD, but even 40 minutes of this stuff have been listened quite easily. I don't want to end this review on a pessimistic note, but I wonder if Mulciber will succeed in arousing listener's interest with his next release like he did with this one.

If you have already listened to Kosmokrater by the time you read this review, you probably have a very firm opinion of the work that Timpaler von Mulciber creates. Granted, his formula hasn’t varied much over the prior three albums. We are still dealing with ultra-lofi, ultra-simple, repetitive black metal. The drum machine is set to “blast hi-hat”. The guitars are still thin. Timpaler still has one of the most unique vocal deliveries in modern black metal. However, “None More Black 2: Electric Boogaloo” this is not.

To start, there is a common theme running through this album: Nazi Flying Saucers. All songs are about extraterrestrial contact and flying saucers during the Third Reich. Given that, the songs here all flow into each other quite well; what was lack of variation on prior releases is a unifying motif here. The guitar’s tremolo picking works in both a hypnotic and atmospheric sense; the long repetitive riffs suck you in to the song, trapping you in a trance, while they create this otherworldly and ominous atmosphere that you would expect when dealing with a subject matter such as this. Timpaler’s guitar solos help enhance this with their spastic nature and diminished tonal qualities.

We still have issues here though. Again, the drum machine mixing is way too heavy on the hi-hat and almost non-existent on the snare and bass. The bass guitar does a much better job being in time with the music on this album compared to the prior recordings, and is mixed better with the guitars, but it could still use a little more grit and/or low end. As for Timpaler’s vocals, which still sound like a mix between Hellhammer and a Nardcore band from the 80’s, you are either not a fan or they don’t bother you, and you’ll know right away which category you fall into.

Yeah, there are issues, but holy shit, there is progress as well. Timpaler is starting to pull together his demented vision of ultra-lofi old school black metal with his execution of it. Each release starts to come closer to being a whole and great album. As it is, this album will garner more plays than his prior albums, as well as most of the demos I receive for promotion. Timpaler has a passion for this music, to deny that would be base stupidity. When the recording finally catches up, look out. Wunderwaffen is a giant step in the right direction.