Review by Carl on May 6, 2020.

For a split second there I thought that UK anarcho punks Conflict had released a new album but as it turns out this is a Russian act that play, according to their bio, industrial death metal. Yeah, I kinda see where they’re coming from, but to call this death metal? That’s a bit of a stretch in my opinion.

Industrial metal is a pretty tricky thing to pull off this day and age. The genre had it’s heyday in the 90’s and not all of it has aged that well. Listening to this, I’m thinking primarily about an act like Psyclon 9 making a crossover with “Digimortal” era Fear Factory, and this is not a good sign. I’m not a fan of Fear Factory’s post 1995 output, aaaand … I’m not a big fan of what the Russian Conflict does neither.

There isn’t a whole lot of threat emanating from this outfit. They miss the militaristic stomping beats that make acts like Suicide Commando or Pouppée Fabrikk so great and they lack the aggression and brutality of bands like Godflesh, Skin Chamber or Sonic Violence as well. The band exhaust themselves with lame “dun-dundun-dundundun” guitar parts (I refuse to call that riffs by the way) and the ugly specter of nu-metal pops its head up way too often. The clean female vocals conjure up images of the singers of Evanescence and Within Temptation and that isn’t something I’m really waiting for either. In the track 'Megapolis' we get a saxophone part and I suppose that it’s nice to know that Kenny G has had an influence on the Russian industrial scene, but not really. It gets extremely annoying in the song that has Burton C. Bell on it. It’s a dreary, slow piece of fluff that sounds like something that Linkin Park would have considered as brilliant. With the plinky-ploinky piano interwoven throughout the song and the vocal lamentation they have Bell doing, Conflict manage to thoroughly bore the arse out of me. The band pulls the emo card far too often and fail to establish the right atmosphere that their lyrical concept so badly needs. Add to this the way too slick production and you have your dud right there.

What I do appreciate on this album is the sampling and keyboards. These are reminiscent of 90’s Front Line Assembly and really add something to the further bland metalcore the band try to pass as death metal. The first song has its moments and the album closer manages to sneak in the only real heavy parts that this album could’ve used so much more of. These are the few points of light on a further way too cheesy and lame album.

I can imagine this album being primarily aimed at the Hot Topic and/or Asking Alexandria crowd and Conflict could find an audience there. I personally think it’s being released 20 years too late. In the year 2000 many would have considered this to be “the shit”.

Rating: 3 out of 10

Review by Felix on June 23, 2021.

I do not think that we need a long opening speech with regard to Warhammer. A lot of metal fans have never heard a song of the band, but everybody knows that the guys from Germany hail this certain black metal legend from Switzerland. (I am sorry for having forgotten its name, but I am getting old.) It goes without saying that the Germans continue to stick to the proven concept. The guys of Warhammer celebrate the glory of morbidity, and they do it in an experienced manner.

Based on a solid level of musicianship, the band provides its special kind of aesthetics. Simple melody lines sound sick and seem to originate from a slightly disturbed brain. Primitiveness and violence are combined and they outline a very dark and cryptic picture. The rusty guitar sound conveys the feeling of mortality and squeaking feedback effects increase the degenerated aura. If you want to get warmed up by the sun, you have to leave the dark realm of Warhammer.

As a matter of course, Warhammer's song-writing process has not much in common with any kind of inventive activities. The band is not interested in trying out something new. This would be a cardinal sin, because the strict concept must not be damaged. Warhammer have defined a clear priority. The compositions follow the concept, not the other way round. Hence it follows that unnecessary absurdities, for example acoustic guitars, female vocals, violins or saxophones do not occur. "Modern" stylistic devices like blast beats are missing as well. Warhammer pay a price for this way of proceeding. Bands that reproduce the sound of a previous legend will hardly gain a high degree of popularity, but they are always at risk to be dismissed as copycats. So what? The guys do not care about this situation. As already mentioned, their concept is holy and anything else is of minor importance. Frankly speaking, I like this kind of stubbornness.

The songs themselves show a more than solid talent for the creation of comprehensible pieces and it does not take much to identify a handful of highlights. 'Dawn Of The Cadaver Ghoul' constitutes a prime example for the approach of the band. Based on a primitive yet expressive riff, the song develops constantly while praising the artistic form of death. The guttural voice of the lead singer avoids any kind of variety, maybe in order to emphasize the lifeless aura. This song is equipped with a mid-paced rhythm and this is not an isolated case. The opener, usually a representative song, is in no hurry as well. Nevertheless, Warhammer do not eschew faster arrangements. Perhaps you like to lend an ear to 'The Conqueror Worm'. Its streamlined flow cannot push the omnipresent rotten aura into the background. Generally speaking, this contrast between the smooth guitar lines and the sick atmosphere fuels the songs of the album in an interesting manner.

The production is neither perfect nor amateurish. However, its tinny drums and the heavy-handed guitars match the archaic style of the band and this is the main thing. In view of the fact that no filler disturbs the homogeneity of Curse Of The Absolute Eclipse, I see no reason to stay away from this full-length. Surely it is not trendy and it fails to deliver an element of surprise. But it constitutes an authentic and unswerving work of four dudes that worship - for good reasons - a band that has left its mark on the evolution of extreme metal.

Rating: 8 out of 10