Album Review: Wehrmacht - Biermacht / Shark Attack
Reviewed by Richard Oliver
2021 seems to be the season of old school thrash reissues. We have already seen the classic albums from Sacred Reich get a shiny new repressing and now following suit are a band that whilst not as well known as Sacred Reich are one that are very much beloved by underground thrash maniacs - the mighty Wehrmacht. Wehrmacht are a band that rarely get a mention in thrash circles (even on the brilliant Thrash Metal Album Of The Fortnight on social media) but for those in the know Wehrmacht, whilst not a pioneering band, are one that are looked upon fondly. Self-proclaimed as “beercore” the band played a hyperfast form of crossover thrash that was ferocious and fun in equal measure. Forming in Portland, Oregon in 1985 Wehrmacht were only in existence for five years splitting in 1990. The band briefly rebranded as Macht but this didn’t last and they disbanded once more. In latter years the band were active once again and performed live across the globe but this came to an end in 2018 and the band are once again inactive.
During their first five years of activity the band released two albums which are now being reissued in multiple formats by Hammerheart Records. The first of these is 1987’s Shark Attack which is seen as a prime piece of old school cult thrash and has to be one of the most ridiculously fast thrash albums ever recorded. The sheer speed of this album is absolutely astounding and is incredibly accomplished for a debut album. For a lot of bands playing at this speed and with this ferocity would result in a sloppy mess but this is tight as fuck with dizzying guitar riffs and ripping solos and a rhythm section that is playing on complete overdrive. Drummer Brian Lehfeldt sounds like he is about to take off at times delivering a barrage of blast-beats whilst frontman Tito Matos delivers his vocals in a blur of verbal diarrhea whilst being able to sound remarkably coherent. Music wise this is building on the crossover/thrashcore sound established by bands such as D.R.I., Cryptic Slaughter and Attitude Adjustment but taken further in terms of speed and aggression. Just listen to songs such as Shark Attack, S.O.P. and Anti and try and prevent your face from being ripped clean off. Like all good crossover there is a sense of humour prevalent throughout and whilst this is mind-blowingly aggressive it is equally as silly. The production is slightly lacking with the bass very much lost in the mix but bad production is a problem with a lot of 80’s underground thrash metal as there was likely not much of a budget. It doesn’t affect the enjoyment of the album in any way and the raw sound if anything compliments the musical onslaught of Shark Attack. There is a good reason this is seen as an underground thrash classic and it really deserves some more love and attention from the wider world. Hopefully this reissue will provide that.
The second reissue is 1989’s Biermächt which plays far more to the fun and humorous side of Wehrmacht’s sound. The title Biermächt should be a big giveaway to the mood this album is trying to put out. This is crossover thrash to drink loads of beers, party and go completely nuts to. It may not be as neck-breakingly fast as Shark Attack but this is still a fast and ferocious album and can still wreck necks and rip faces when needed such as on You Broke My Heart (So I Broke Your Face) and The Beer Is Here!/Drink Beer Be Free whilst there are some more melodic parts such as the intro to The Wehrmacht and the classic Night Of Pain (Part 1) though these songs still absolutely shred as well;. This album can be clearly heard as an influence on the party thrash sound of later bands such as Municipal Waste with the combination of thrash ferocity, fun and humour. The band’s sound is far tighter here and the production is much improved with the bass far more up front and audible. Whilst not as memorable as its predecessor Biermächt is still a fantastic piece of crossover thrash from Wehrmaht.
Both these albums are receiving expansive reissues from Hammerheart Records in multiple formats such as CD, cassette and also vinyl in various colours. There are also expanded editions of the albums featuring plenty of bonus material such as demos, rehearsals and live recordings. Unfortunately this bonus material was not included in the advance copies received so I cannot say whether it is any good or not. The original albums themselves are fantastic crossover thrash releases and it’s evident why they are held in such high regard by thrash metal maniacs. As well as influencing bands in the 21st century thrash revival Wehrmacht also had a lasting influence on grind bands with their outrageous speed and aggression and were even covered by Napalm Death on their Leaders Not Followers 2 album. Hopefully these reissues will mean more people get to hear these cult thrash classics.
