Kanonenfieber – Soldatenschicksale
Release Date: 30th January 2026
Label: Century Media
Bandcamp
Genre: Blackened Death Metal, Melodic Black Metal, Death Metal.
FFO: 1914, Bolt Thrower, Panzerfaust, Minewerfer, Grima, Non Est Deus, Kvaen.
Review By: Rick Farley
For anyone that’s been living under a rock the last few years, Germany’s blackened death metal storytellers Kanonenfieber have skyrocketed to the top of the metal world with tales and real accounts of the travesties of war. Their live show alone has become in a class of their own. Multi-instrumentalist and sole member, Noise, took inspiration for the conception of his band from his deceased grandfather’s real life frontline diaries that vividly described the horror of his time in World War I. It was the only thing left he had of his grandfather, and decided to dedicate his art to commemorating the countless victims of war in general.
“Kanonenfieber’s black and death metal isn’t meant to solely entertain, but also educate and raise awareness against the glorification of war.”
“The concept that was drafted hinges on authenticity, with lyrics and linguistics based on reports, letters and other historical documents.”
Since 2020, Kanonenfieber have released two full lengths, two EPs and a few random singles. 2026’s Century Media release Soldatenschicksale is not exactly a new album but rather a compilation of reworked and reimagined versions of those EPs and singles, as well as a couple brand-new tracks. The mere idea that Noise is the only member writing and playing, this album feels incredibly cohesive, with every track feeling like an extension of the last. With that said, if you’re entirely new to the band this is going to feel like a complete album, and if you’re not, you will assuredly enjoy these reworkings/new tracks.
Kanonenfieber’s music on the surface is blackened and aggressive with a tremendous amount of rhythmic hookiness that’s hard to ignore, it occasionally has a bit of industrial feel without the electronics. Top tier songwriting, combing melody and catchiness with raw brutality, the guitars are sharp, bouncy yet savage. Plenty of black metal nastiness to go around, as well as a swagger that promotes loads of broken necks and cracked bones. The drums barrel through like a machine gun with rapid blast beats and powerful hammering that encourage involuntary body movement. Needless to say, Kanonenfieber is pure ugliness and brutality, but also infectiously catchy, which transcends the band to be listenable for nearly any kind of metalhead, granted you like harsh, black metal shrieks and growling.
Z-Vor! The album opener, which is also a brand-new track. A military, marching style drum beat with spoken words ramps up into a fast-paced, propulsive blackened riff that at times has a bit of a gallop to it. It chugs and twists, while guitar melodies dance underneath. Gang vocals, and lower growls bark like a captain leading his men into battle. The track perfectly starts the album with high energy and tons of death metal crunch.
The atmospheric instrumental Ubootsperre is essentially a submarine radar pulsing in the background, leading to the blistering Kampf und Sturm which stands as my current favourite track. It’s a crunchy, assaulting riff and drum that combined together forms a relentless headbanger. Once the growling shrieks of the verse start, its aggression leans more towards black metal, with searing tremolo guitars and menacing darkness. The track is violent but highly memorable, there’s a noticeable knack for making extreme metal engaging on this track especially.
The last track I want to mention is The Yankee Division March, which was originally released in 2022 and includes guest vocals from the late Trevor Strnad. Trevor and Noise trade off vocals, one from the perspective of a U.S. soldier and the other from a German soldier on a French Battlefield. The 2025 reworked version is a lot beefier and sounds incredible, but still hits the feels.
Kanonenfieber even in releasing only a reworked compilation album have again announced to the world that they might be the absolute best blackened death metal band there is today. Get this in your ears immediately.
(4.5 / 5)
