Minenwerfer is one of my favorite black metal bands. Their first full-length, Volkslieder, is a raw display of rage and features some of the best guitar solos I’ve ever heard. Nihilistischen used the same formula but had a more polished sound. Alpenpasse went in a more atmospheric direction and, in doing so, became one of the best metal albums of 2019. Now the band has returned with Feuerwalze. An interesting thing to note is that this album was accidentally leaked to streaming services on February 24 of this year, so the band and label decided to officially release it the very next day.
On this album they return to the Volkslieder formula. That means relentless fury and indiscriminate destruction. The production leans more towards the cloudy side instead of the abrasive side, but this does not diminish the impact of the music in the slightest. If anything, it gives it a different flavor. The drums unleash an almost constant blast beat bombardment, broken up occasionally by some slower beats like those on “Nachtschreck”. They also throw in some wild fills for good measure. The bass is very high in the mix, thus allowing all of its rattling riffs to be heard. These riffs give the music a gritty quality and make you feel like you’re breathing in thick clouds of smoke and dust.
The vocals preserve the quality they had on Alpenpasse. The screams are drenched in reverb, making them sound like the ghosts of a gigantic battle. They are filled with fury and crave vengeance and blood. The guitars are still the best part. Their performance runs the gamut from crazed chord progressions to eviscerating tremolo riffs. They speak the language of fast-paced violence, but they’re also far more refined and structured than anything they had composed in the past. The solos are what really steal the show. Sometimes they sound absolutely chaotic like on “Cemetery Fields”, and other times they’re more orderly and atmospheric like the one on “Eternal Attrition”. Their most extravagant performance is at the end of “Shrapnel Exsanguination”. That solo is a raging tempest of fire, a storm of steel.
Minenwerfer have once again proven that they are one of the best black metal bands currently in existence. Their ferocity is matched by only a scant few. Their guitar work continues to astound. Their songwriting remains fantastic. Feuerwalze is German for Fire Cylinder, and it definitely lives up to that name, for the music spews forth flames of total war. None are spared. All is burned.