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KRIEGSMASCHINE
Enemy Of Man

No Solace (2014)
Rating: 8/10

I’ve always been a fan of Polish black metal, and Kriegsmaschine are one of the reasons why. This grim-sounding black metal trio has been making unholy noise since 2002. Enemy Of Man is the second full-length platter from the band, emerging some nine years after 2005 debut Altered States Of Divinity.

Fans of the band will be relieved to know that these guys haven’t necessarily moved with the times, and are still intent on bruising the cranium with their ashen style of war-torn, hateful metal. The band is still fronted by M. and Destroyer – who provide guitar and bass, respectively – and the pair are backed by the nefarious beats of drummer Darkside.

The most striking thing you’ll notice about the sound of Kriegsmaschine is the air of melancholy that quite literally drips from the noise they create. In a sense, the grey haze produced is reminiscent of a more industrial influence such as Godflesh, yet effortlessly combined with rumbling black metal angst.

The trio have a macabre guitar sound that reeks of distortion, and which plays with those snarling, sneering vocals. This isn’t mere remote and tinny black metal, but doom-laden and fairly weighty metal with catchy numbers to boot. The bass is strong throughout – giving the music a meaty backbone – and the percussion knits together the unhealthy marrying of bleak rhythm and occasional down-tuned melody. Kriegsmaschine are more effective as a rumbling rather than rushing beast, intent on chugging along like some oily machine waiting to blow.

Although the sound of Enemy Of Man is aggressive, it doesn’t rely on pace to hammer home its message, as the mid-paced tempo proves. ‘To Ashen Heavens’ is a shining example of this unhealthy smog which the band unnaturally bestows upon those gothic chords and dejected narration. And the dissonance continues, ‘Lies Of The Fathers’, ‘Asceticism And Passion’ and the title track combining bestial fury with debris-ridden dynamics – all of which make for quite an accessible listen, despite the apocalyptic feel of it all.

It’s pleasing that the band has lost none of its swagger from 2005, and has clearly put in a lot of toil in making this platter as rusty and sinister as possible. Again, I refer to the metallic clanking and clanging the band engage the listener with – to the point of aural hostility – but again I much prefer the band at mid-tempo, when the snarls seem to hit harder and the percussion disintegrates the bones.

Enemy Of Man is a natural, yet volatile progression for a band whose whole world seems to revolve around chilling the soul of those who fail to succumb to their satanic power. At times jaw-dropping in its sorrowful menace, Enemy Of Man will have you reaching for the gas mark to escape the toxic fumes belched out by the speakers.

Neil Arnold

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