1914: The Blind Leading the Blind

Michael Herr’s account of Vietnam in his book Dispatches opens with a section called “Breathing In.� A visceral and surreal account of warfare, Herr’s book not only puts the reader in the war, but also in the anxious and confused heads of those fighting it. I thought of Herr’s book while listening to this album, first because the opening track is pretty similar (It’s called “War In�) and also because this band also keeps the emphasis on how maddening and how uncanny war really is. World War I is a fairly common theme in extreme music, but this band keeps the emphasis on death and loss rather than on courage and bravery. I’m not suggesting one kind of story is better than the other, but I did think this album did a great job of avoiding making war seem exciting. It helps that the band weaves together such brutal death metal with clips from radio (both music and audio drama). Combined with the music, all those sounds point to the thousands of lives lost and the countless stories untold.

For me, this band’s strength comes from their serious purpose of keeping the focus on death and the way it finds its way into any human situation. The album art captures that perfectly. If you look at it, you can see the traditional figure of death striding patiently on the battlefield, his scythe ready for a huge harvest. Musically, the band basically creates the soundtrack that keeps that death figure marching on. The band’s style of blackened death metal is massive and relentless while the songwriting is consistently creative and tight. Songs like “Passchenhell� especially deliver the goods. Fans of The Exploited will certainly be interested in 1914’s cover of “Beat the Bastards.� Not only does it sound great, it also fits perfectly into the album’s larger context. I definitely recommend this album especially if you enjoy massive and brutal blackened death / doom metal. I especially liked the aforementioned “Passchenhell,� but I also thought “C’est mon dernier pigeon� and “Arrival. The Meuse-Argonne� were outstanding. For an example of a mostly atmospheric track, check out “Hanging on the Barbed Wire.� That’s a dark one. This is a powerful new release.

Track Listing:
1. War In
2. Arrival. The Meuse-Argonne
3. A7V Mephisto
4. High Wood. 75 Acres of Hell
5. Beat the Bastards
6. Hanging on the Barbed Wire
7. Passchenhell
8. C’est mon dernier pigeon
9. Stoßtrupp
10. The Hundred Days Offensive
11. War Out

Added: July 15th 2019
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 1016
Language: english

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