Vehemency Pure relentless war is a good way to describe Kriegshetzer’s debut album Panzer Vorwärts, and is there really any need to analyze assaults like these any further? Perhaps a few additional words are in place, but if you already know that you want variation and calmful melodies in your black metal, there’s no reason to continue reading.

The paradigm is simple: a load of fast-paced blast beats, swift and piercing tremolo riffs and masculine screams. The instruments are executed with rather precise touch and timing which makes the music sound fittingly sharp and militant. In addition to the overall belligerent atmosphere, there are also some latent tendencies towards melancholic melody, such as in the main riff of ”Hohe Nacht der klaren Sterne” even if it’s only for a couple of seconds. One of my personal favourites off the album is the adventurous ”Mutspruch” which showcases the band’s ability to create such twirling and damn engaging riffs in insane tempos - not that this particular track is the only one of its kind.

Usually, I’m bored to death when it comes to prolonged albums where hateful riffs are played incessantly without the slightest change of compromise. This is why it comes as a surprise how well Panzer Vorwärts and its not-that-unique Eastern European black metal chord progressions retain my interest throughout, even if I would have still removed a song or two from this 48-minute entity. The production, natural sounding and hence far away from a modern overcompressed turd, is also a partial reason why Panzer Vorwärts is an endurable record. For obvious reasons, this album is not for everyone, but for those who seek for simple violence from their black metal, Panzer Vorwärts is a recommendable album.