It's a night of memories and remembering in a frigid London, cold as combat. Because war is the theme of this concert, as is remembering how harsh everything was and, regrettably, continues to be.
Words by Sabrina Schavinato
Pictures courtesy of Peterson Marti
Panzerfaust travelled all the way from Canada to support Kanonenfieber on their European tour, which will visit 21 locations. Before we begin with their performance, let's delve into their history: the four-piece black metal band which formed in 2005 is one of the more exciting bands to emerge in the last decade. Their talent to produce music with such deep sonorities and crushing riffs has resulted in the first two chapters of The Suns of Perdition series being among the best albums to come out of the genre in recent years. Furthermore, despite their intrinsic similarities, both releases have their distinctive identities.
You may notice another voice coming from the stage, but it is difficult to determine where it is coming from until you realise why the drums have been moved so close to the front of the stage: Goliath's deep voice, echoing across the entire venue, resembling the voice of a monster in the worst of your nightmares. The back-and-forth between Goliath's voice and Brock's (guitar) screaming vocals simulates war cries or pain screams, adding depth and dimension to the overall drama of the performance.
This isn't the first time we've seen them, and I have to say, their performance is one of the few that still gives me chills: the dim lighting and fog effects, of course, create an ominous atmosphere, but what stands out is how these guys perform on stage, fully covered in mud and holding instruments like they were riffles or heavy artillery.
The dark theme of battle is also enhanced by the heavy and complex drums, which, combined with the distorted instrumentation, express deep emotions and create a sense of auditory conflict.
We hear both old and new material, beginning with "The Hesychasm Unchained" and concluding with "Promethean Fire."
Additionally, we are grateful to the band members who took the opportunity to engage with fans after the event, taking pictures and exchanging conversations. Of course, we seized this opportunity.
Setlist:
The Hesychasm Unchained
Occam's Fucking Razor
The Day After 'Trinity'
The Far Bank at the River Styx
Promethean Fire
Fans of Kanonenfieber already knew they were in for a real theatrical reenactment; for the uninitiated, the band members wore authentic WWI uniforms and full-face masks to hide their identities—not so much to keep a secret as to symbolize the soldiers' anonymity.
We are about to see some truly legendary storytelling; it is well-known that the band's music revolves around themes related to World War I. However, the lyrics of their songs, which may not be widely known, originate from original papers and letters related to this time period.
What began as a project is now a well-known name among people who like war-themed bands, as you can see how many people wear the band's gear.
After the opener "Grossmachtfantasie," the band took the stage with the powerful "Menschenmühle" as their first song. Even with our high expectations, the incredible music left a lasting impression on us.
We had anticipated a snow machine and an artificial tree-like structure from the previous show, but Noise, the band's frontman, surprised us with a snow gun. He used it to cover the crowd with fake snow as the band played the first notes of "Der Fusilier," depicting a story from the trenches during the war winter. Every aspect of the performance, from the stage props and acting to the band's attire, is a meticulous recreation of the events and not just one song. They must have had a lot of gear to bring on tour because they changed into at least four outfits during the performance.
The music ranges from the classic pounding drum patterns that evoke the relentless march of troops to the atmospheric soundscapes that recreate war-torn landscapes. During "Grabenlieder,” we hear real shooting and the inaction of a live conflict.
It’s not common to see moshpits during a black metal show, but in this case, the crowd was on fire, and it even got better when Noise, in full officer uniform, issued the order for a wall of death. It was pure carnage.
Grossmachtfantasie
Menschenmühle
Sturmtrupp
Der Füsilier I
Grabenlieder
Der Maulwurf
Panzerhenker
Ubootsperre (Intro)
Kampf und Sturm
Die Havarie
Die Feuertaufe
Lviv zu Lemberg
Waffenbrüder
Verdun
Ausblutungsschlacht
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