Artist......: 1914
Album.......: Eschatology of War
Year........: 2015
Genre.......: Death Metal
Label.......: Napalm Records
Cat.No......:
Source......: WEB (24bit)
Encoder.....: libFLAC
Quality.....: 1780kbps avg. / 48.0kHz / 2 channels
Playtime....: 00:51:47 (711.73MB)
R.date......: 2023-01-09
S.date......: 2015-12-17
Website.....: http://open.qobuz.com/album/jseyzi224zs3b
Disc 1 / 1
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01. War In 1:36
02. Gasmask 5:54
03. Frozen in Trenches (Christmas Truce) 5:55
04. Verdun 5:25
05. Caught in the Crossfire 6:17
06. Zeppelin Raids 5:09
07. Ottoman Rise 8:57
08. Arditi 4:58
09. Battlefield 5:41
10. War Out 1:55
1914 plays a heavy hybrid of death metal that is sometimes merged into the
landscapes of black metal. "Eschatology of War" is an untamed release of
puissant drumming, , and vibrant vocals. It takes the listener on a journey
through various periods of World War One (WW1) which began in the year
1914. The listener is placed in the middle of chemical warfare, zeppelin
strikes, trench warfare, the terror of high powered machine guns and
stories of battle strategies, bravery, heroism, and horror. This release is
brutal, haunting and at times even brings tears to the eyes. Yes, this is
an emotional album with substance, meaning, passion, aggression, and
serenity (the breathless kind). Each song is an accurate representation of
the multi-layered intricacies of WW1's mark in history. This is not an
album that omits or expels the atrocities of WW1; it bathes the listener in
the grandeur of gunpowder and the grotesque effects of mustard gas.
"War In" is a great introduction to the battlefield, which calmy awaits to
be moistened with sacrifice. "Gasmask" then charges full throttle with its
bayonet mounted rifle into the guts of the listener. The vocals of Dmytro
Kumar runneth over with rage; the death metal growls are barbaric and the
black metal snarls are savage. The growls are evenly present as the snarls
and are both utilized to great effect on the album.
The guitar work by Andrii Rieznikov and Oleksa Fisyuk is phenomenal in
terms of melody. It builds on the momentum of the songs. The listener can
hear some aspects of deathcore breakdowns on the 2nd track "Gas Mask". I
wasn't very fond of this musical choice, even though I do admire and own
some deathcore albums. I felt like it affected the overall feeling of the
album which had already provided the listener with a strong WW1 atmosphere
via means of a classical musical sample; therefore it was only right that
whatever followed, maintained the feeling of old, rather than add modernity
to it. This sudden transition only lasted for a small period of time, in
which I am very grateful for and even better, rarely or never makes a
reappearance on the remainder of the album. Deazer's bass is loud and
follows the guitar leads for the majority of the album. It is mixed well
and serves as that essential touch of vibrancy; thus ensuring the longevity
of the album.
The drumming throughout the album is sensational, especially on tracks such
as "Verdun", "Caught in the Crossfire" and "Ottoman Rise". Jotunhammer's
drumming hits like a stampede of elephants or the thunderous crack of
cannons on a battleship. His ability to play black metal blast beats and
switch to death/doom metal drumming (e.g "Zeppelin Raids" and "Ottoman
Rise") is outstanding.
As a whole, 1914 clearly understands the importance of a quality production
and a heavy sound in order to convey the messages they did on "Eschatology
of War". The album is an excellent mixed bag of melodic riffs, spoken, sung
and acted samples, splendid drumming, rich vocals and a clobbering bass
tone. I hope "Eschatology of War" makes its way to vinyl soon; as I truly
believe it deserves that touch of wax treatment; given its heavy themes and
glorious artwork.