The atmosphere of this album is fantastic. Makes you feel like you're knee-deep in the trenches drenched in mud, filth, sweat, and blood. Truly encapsulates the horrors of World War I, and the fact that the lyrics of some of the songs are taken from old war letters really adds to the authenticity.
Favorite Track(s): Die Feuertaufe, Grabenlieder edoerfler
The first 30 seconds of "Revenge by Fire" convinced me to get the whole album! It is a face-melting blend of speed and black metal, reminiscent of Hellripper! KVAEN is a Swedish solo project much like Hellripper but many known guest musicians helped J. Björnfot in his endeavor. Altogether it is really a solid debut album, I loved the melodies and the pace changes in the second half too, ending with a "calm" instrumental one. Well-done!! sachavonkarl74
A Pagan black metal masterpiece.
Folk and black metal elements fuse into one extremely catchy and awe inspiring album. This band does not disappoint from all the high praise sent it's way. Abyssius Murkraken
Featuring members of Noothgrush, Graves at Sea, and more, the Oakland metal band juxtapose cavernous doom with spaced-out shoegaze. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 21, 2024
Another Teutonic gem I just discovered, "Totenwache" (is it a dead guard?) as I would translate it from German "Totenwache", is a black metal outfit hailing from Hamburg. This album is a fine and well-crafted mix of the right amount of melodies and roughness, distilled to perfection. At first they may sound almost generic, but after a few listens all the technical prowess and multi-layered complexity surfaces to delight us. Highly recommended! sachavonkarl74