Album Review: Death Kommander - Never To Grow Old
Reviewed by Sam Jones
Metal and war pair together like peanut butter and chocolate. From Bolt Thrower to Hail To Bullets to 1914, the subject of warfare gas tantalised millions of metal fans across the globe, and here we have another add to that pantheon: Death Kommander. Formed in 2018 out of Edinburgh, Scotland, the band’s first Demo released the same year but it wouldn’t be until 2021 when they’d finally release their first full length: Pro Matri Mori. With another four years behind them Death Kommander return with their second album, Never To Grow Old, for a May 30th release date. Signed on to F.D.A. Records this is another opportunity for the band to garner a wider range of new fans to their sound. War is synonymous with death metal but each band approaches it with their own style, it’s time to see what Death Kommander can deliver.
Right out of the gate, the band make it perfectly clear their sound is deeply influenced by Bolt Thrower as are many a modern band today. But Death Kommander feel like a legitimate disciple in this respect owing to the copious bass flowing through their performance; its not simply this crunching, steady tank tread rolling over you but this mechanical timbre that oozes through their songwriting. Its also not as crushing as other death metal bands may opt for in this instance. Death Kommander ensure you’ve got plenty of room to play with and breathe in which thus makes this record an easier experience to access. Moreover, Bolt Thrower’s signature dread so readily identifiable can also be discovered herein, where the war isn’t the sole subject but the accompanying malice it will entail too.
From this we can ascertain that Death Kommander aren’t the most explosive, superlative band you’ll discover this year, but had they been so then it would detract from the reliable, stoic songwriting Death Kommander make their own. There’s strikingly little fanfare occurring across their performance, their sequences are well contained and though riffs howl and vocals bellow, it doesn’t seek to glorify its soundscape. Never To Grow Old acknowledges the sincere slaughter arising from conflict and the senseless loss of life it entails, however through the songwriting the band infer these actions must be done if war is to be to seen through to its conclusion. Their tempo is consistently steady, where their riffs and overall approach to extreme metal isn’t going to suddenly rise rapidly out of nowhere. Much like old school horror tales, we aren’t going to brought to some final apex or shown the beginnings that set this story in motion, Death Kommander drop us into the middle of an ongoing, all-encompassing conflict and merely subject us to the atmosphere you’d feel right there and then.
I was surprised however to learn just how clean this record was; for a record geared towards war and ensuing carnage, the band have seen to it their soundscape is easily approached by newcomers. As aforementioned, other acts would have dirtied this record up tenfold to drive home that grit, that despondent malice, but Death Kommander lay it out bare for us, there is no mirror, no illusion, just the stark and brutal honesty war throws up before us. The songwriting oozes this absence of glorification as whilst the guitar work feels superbly clean and free of any muck and viscera their performance, unimpeded by muddied production, finds itself unchallenged and reaches us without veil or façade to disguise its malformed, transformed face. Tracks begin and end as readily as one breathes; you’ll enjoy what’s on show and then it cuts out or slowly fades away with nought trying to instil anything flashy upon their riffs. It is a particularly brutal way of conveying industrialised war to the listener but it is truly effective.Even guitar solos are a rare find here as the band wanted as little as possible thrown in that could draw the audience away from the general immersion.
It's great to listen to a death metal record about war and recognise the ease of experiencing the drumming. Often on these kinds of albums the band may put their bass and riffs into overdrive whilst leaving the drums to the outskirts of the mix. But Death Kommander’s stripped back approach to war, especially regarding production, means their drums come through with particularly crisp action. You can practically feel the skin of the drum vibrate and settle again between each strike as its brought across with such vibrant clarity. Enabling the drums to be this well perceived likely lends a great deal of strength towards the band’s tempo, showcasing the band aren’t just throwing riffs at you in some dire hope to keep you enthralled. Across the record the band demonstrate any enjoyment you get out of their performance flows from the band as a whole. Even then, this isn’t some noteworthy drumming performance, you’ll have heard something like this a thousand times over; Death Kommander’s drums work however because the rest of the album has been structured and pieced together in such a way that nothing special needs to be accommodated for the drums to prosper; this is the case with a slew of other albums, the drums aren’t lacking anything but they’re often failed by the writing that are meant to show them off. By reducing the crushing tone, calming the suffocating assault of the guitar work, Death Kommander give every element at their disposal the chance to shine.
In conclusion, Never To Grow Old is a record that I think will happily entertain and surprise people. War and death metal go hand in hand with each other, but Death Kommander show us you don’t need to put your pedal right to the floor to craft a compelling a record about it. Of the many, many records revolving around war, this is certainly one of the more stripped back and raw depictions I’ve encountered. Other than one or two solos there is hardly anything on record that would remove you from their immersion and even as tracks reach their end the band offer nothing flashy to signal that end. With little more than half an hour Death Kommander do well to establish that atmosphere from the outset knowing they haven got time to instil more developed nuances. War is gritty, its apathetic to human wants, desires, hopes and dreams. Death Kommander, through their songwriting, mix and stark, raw performance, where a minimum of cushioning is found, showcase the naked fear mechanised conflict would elicit. You won’t find anything revolutionary on record here but it is especially well put together and thus gives room for every instrumental piece to have its day. A record to go back again and again.
Be the first to comment