Strike of the Infernal Adversary / Spees Graben

This split was released in 2013. To date, it is the last sign of life of Warhammer and I fear it will remain so, not only because of the death of “Iron Lung” Volker Frerich (R.I.P.) in 2021. However, let’s start with Blackwhole and their contribution “Spee’s Graben”. No idea why a band sings about a body of water in Düsseldorf, but this question can be left open. Already the music does not really catch my attention. It’s a lump of droning guitars, some percussive elements and desperate vocals. With the dynamism of a 95-year-old man on crutches, the track drags on for almost five minutes. The guitar work is neither bad nor exciting and the vocals have almost been forgotten during the recordings. The guitars totally dominate here. Honestly, this song does not make my day, 40% are enough for this noisy experence. Maybe it is no wonder that Blackwhole also did not release something else after this track?

Already the first tones of Warhammer promise a better song and they do not promise too much. I listen to a galloping mid-tempo number with a nice double bass carpet, a casual riff and, of course, the “Iron Lung”. Finally, a short up-tempo section increases the energy of the song. This track is a little gem, because Warhammer deliver some catchy elements without any commercial intentions and this combination is very attractive. In addition, the smooth flow of the track is not at the expense of its mega-heaviness and that’s a fine detail too. So let’s put the spotlight on the technical implementation. The raw production with its ugly guitar tone fits the musical approach excellently without being immaculate in any way. 80% for “Strike of the Infernal Adversary” are okay – or does anyone offer more?

In short, this 7” is no must have, but if you want to make your Warhammer collection complete, you should keep your eyes open for this vinyl. By the way, its packaging (two artworks, lyric sheet) is well designed. Thus, it is a pity that Blackwhole’s song does not really work – anything else delivers value for money.