German War Kommando

This split EP doesn't slow down for a second. It's a great little piece and the Krematorium side is especially strong.

The A Side, Waffenträger Luzifers, is really low production to the point that it's almost distracting. All three songs are short and punky with chanting choruses. The opener "Ziontod" is kind of annoying, with noisy compression and repetitive chanting. They improve with time though, at times almost evoking mid-career Darkthrone (think Hate Them or Sardonic Wrath). The drumming is fast and he rides the hell out of the cymbals the whole time - which I always like in black metal. Vocals are kind of "cat" like, like the Deathcrush EP, and not that great. This is definitely the weaker half of the split, but some of the riffs are still good.

The B Side is some of Krematorium's best material, and they're the reason I checked out this split in the first place. It's clean, clear, and heavy. The whole sound is deeper and bassier than ever before. Guitars are tuned lower, bass is loud, and drums have more punch too. The whole thing has more oomph to it. "Tod durch den Strang" is absolutely menacing, aggressive and dark, unlike anything I've heard from the band before. The rising-chord hook is absolutely wicked, and the chorus has reverb to make it sound even scarier. "Ein Galgen steht bereit" is more like the usual Krematorium sound, an inspiring and cheerful Oi sounding riff... but with this mastering job it's just so much ballsier than normal. Drum fills stand out, the bass crunches along under the Oi riff, the vocalist is actually aggressive and angry sounding - instead of just performing the lyrics, he's feeling them.

The Krematorium side is truly 10/10, but as I said the A side is weak, so overall I can give this a recommend for fans of Krematorium... but can't consider it a good split on the merits of the whole thing.