Settling in on a Tuesday morning and having a little ponder about where all that first World War inspired metal had gone, it was a veritable Western Front of joy when this reworked release from Death Kommander saluted in my ear drums. ‘The Great Offensive’ is a fresh take on some of their earliest tracks and see this battalion, based in Edinburgh, make their move on an unexpectant foe.
Having released a demo, aptly titled ‘Summer Offensive ’18’, in 2018 (blindingly obviously), as well as their debut full-length ‘Pro Patria Mori’ three years later; it’s impossible not to mention Bolt Thrower as early as possible in this short review. Musically, they tread a similar battery of gnarly, grinding heaviness, albeit with a penchant for greater injections of groove; and vocally, the Willetts comparisons need not be questioned. However, these guys also use their decision to re-record their early material to bring things into a more modern, old school death metal arena – sitting quite perfectly against less war-obsessed counterparts like Frozen Soul and Gatecreeper.
At just 25 minutes, with a new intro and outro, this is actually over too fast. Stick your head into the bullet shower that is ‘Onwards’, press repeat on the bayonet-strapped-to-an-iron-bar that is opener ‘Pay With Your Blood’ or find your stomp to potentially the strongest re-recording on here, ‘The March’, and you will understand exactly what ‘baying for more’ means.
Let’s hope this is a conscious decision by the Death Kommander crew (or should that be krew) as they draw a line under the beginning, and march in tight formation towards the next step in their career. Highly recommend.
Best Paired With: Covering Yourself In Webbing, Sticking Some Flying Goggles On and Going To An Extreme Music Festival.
Reviewed by Jaff.
Death Kommander – The Great Offensive is out now on F.D.A. Records.
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