1914
Where Fear and Weapons Meet


4.0
excellent

Review

by manosg EMERITUS
December 31st, 2021 | 70 replies


Release Date: 2021 | Tracklist

Review Summary: A master class in blackened death/doom metal and World War I.

Back when information wasn't as readily available as today, it wasn't uncommon for metalheads to become familiar with little-known topics to them through music. That, in turn, created a special bond with specific bands and albums. I won't even pretend that I am a history buff or knowledgeable when it comes to the Great War, which makes 1914's latest offering an exciting listen, as it allows me to become accustomed to both their music and World War I. Right from the bat, Where Fear and Weapons Meet sets the mood and places the listener into a muddy trench with a traditional Serbian song. What follows, is the assassination of Franz Ferdinand (in the form of "FN .380 ACP#19074"), which marked the start of Europe's greatest conflict. The symphonic touches on that song, along with the samples, provide a cinematic feel which is maintained throughout the album's duration.

Listening to 1914's third installment, one can spot various influences including Bolt Thrower, God Dethroned, and the Gothenburg scene. There is a great sense of melody on here which makes the album suitable even for non-blackened death/doom metal aficionados. That, combined with the anthropocentric approach in the lyrics, makes most songs easier to relate to. For example, the lyrics of " ...And a Cross Now Marks His Place" come from a real letter that a mother received notifying her that her son had lost his life during conflict. Nick Holmes' participation, using both growls and clean vocals, makes this song even more crushing. What is more, the performance of each member is excellent, with memorable riffs and powerful drums that represent machine guns. However, vocalist Ditmar Kumarberg steals the show as he effectively conveys feelings like desperation, madness, horror, and loss, among others. According to the band, most of the time, the lyrics precede the music, which also gives the listener the feeling of reading an old journal, apart from the aforementioned cinematic experience. Lastly, there is also the element of surprise, as in the middle of the album, "Coward", a purely acoustic song, describes the execution of a man who couldn't stand the torment of war and deserted.

On the other hand, a few of the songs tend to tread a bit on the long side, and some may feel that the album is a bit overproduced, even though I love that it sounds so "big". Nevertheless, these are only minor issues that should not deter anyone from checking what is clearly a band on the rise and a beast of an album.




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user ratings (121)
3.8
excellent


Comments:Add a Comment 
manosg
Emeritus
December 31st 2021


12709 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

This needed a thread.

ChoccyPhilly
December 31st 2021


13650 Comments


Interesting stuff read. I'll hop on this train

manosg
Emeritus
December 31st 2021


12709 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Thanks! Hope you enjoy, Choccy.

YoYoMancuso
Staff Reviewer
December 31st 2021


19241 Comments


this is intriguing, might need to give this a listen! good review my friend

manosg
Emeritus
December 31st 2021


12709 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Appreciate it, YoYo! Hope you enjoy, bud.

botb
December 31st 2021


18254 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Fun record

Hyperion1001
Emeritus
December 31st 2021


26970 Comments


looks fun but my god that’s a dumb fucking album name lmao what does that even mean??

TheNotrap
Staff Reviewer
January 1st 2022


19009 Comments

Album Rating: 4.2

"This needed a thread."

Hard fact from my Greek mate

UniverseCalling
January 1st 2022


109 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Amazing album, and I really do love the way they approach historical lyrics.

manosg
Emeritus
January 1st 2022


12709 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Agreed, Universe!



Appreciate it, Notrap. Happy new year my friend.

Pho3nix
January 1st 2022


1666 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Great rev! +1 :]



This release is much more demanding of the listener than their previous effort. I found it to be too dense, too long, too much. Could have benefited from shorter track lengths and added ambience. It's just "good" imo. The Blind Leading the Blind is an excellent record however.



I have to recommend Minenfeld for any fans of WW1-themed metal: https://minenfeld.bandcamp.com/album/the-great-adventure

Dedes
Contributing Reviewer
January 1st 2022


10464 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

@hyperion

It means that fear

And weapons meet



Great review man, been wanting to do one myself but never really came around to it. Imo this album is great, definitely more cinematic in scope which definitely adds a greater touch of grandiose. It ain't no Blind Leading the Blind but fuck it It slays

manosg
Emeritus
January 1st 2022


12709 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Thanks Pho3nix and Dedes!



I must admit that I haven't checked The Blind Leading the Blind yet. Will check it asap though, since you guys say that it's so good.

Dedes
Contributing Reviewer
January 1st 2022


10464 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Yeah man it's tha best

Legit maybe the best bm I've heard in the last year or so

dachstheangry
January 1st 2022


270 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

Glad they got a review. This is one of my favourite albums of 2021.

manosg
Emeritus
January 2nd 2022


12709 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Thanks Cap!

insomniac15
Staff Reviewer
January 2nd 2022


6234 Comments


Great review Manos! I've been meaning to check these guys out, I put this album now to play.

Related to the group's vocalist, if I am not mistaken, when we were on a mini tour in 2012 with our band in Ukraine, we spent one night in Lviv on our way to a festival in Kiev. The vocal was our guide/contact in the city. We had some great talks about the history of Ukraine and the entire Eastern Europe over some vodkas. Very smart and sweet person.

Voivod
Staff Reviewer
January 2nd 2022


10909 Comments


WELCOME TO SARAJEVOOOOOOO

Killer band, my only concern about these guys is the possibility of overproducing their sound with subsequent releases, although I admit that my assertion may not be objective at all, since I'm currently within a lofi extreme metal spree.

Dedes
Contributing Reviewer
January 2nd 2022


10464 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

@insomniac

What's ur band bruv? Also that's p sweet. They seem as a whole knowledgeable on their subject matter. Imo Eastern European history is just as wonderfully interesting as the more studied ones like the UK and France

insomniac15
Staff Reviewer
January 2nd 2022


6234 Comments


Great album, but it's a bit too long IMO. It does have a grandiose production, agreed.


@Dedes - Yeah, there are a lot of twists in Eastern Europe's history mainly due to being situated between Western Europe's powerful nations and the Asian ones. For example, where I live in a city in western Romania, we were under Hungarian, Austrian and Turkish rules for a few hundreds of years before the Soviets took over. A lot was lost during communism, but there's quite a cultural mish mash here from food to language and architecture.
Also, I play in a band called Methadone Skies (https://methadoneskies.bandcamp.com/)

Back then the vocalist from 1914 sang in this band Johnny B Gut - https://robustfellow.bandcamp.com/track/johny-b-gut-rivers



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