1914
Eschatology of War
Release Date: 17 December 2015
Archaic Sound
Review by Cameron Cooper
The swathe of war-themed extreme metal bands can get a bit tiring to hear about, listen to and – especially – see live. The name 1914 sure doesn’t help curb those feelings. But as the crackly, hall music samples of War In are drowned out by the sound of panzer tanks exploding, and the Ukrainian five-piece dive-bomb into the knuckle-dragging riffs of opener Gas Mask, all images of greasy-haired teenagers in camo pants and baggy T-shirts are exterminated. 1914 are a band who mean serious business, and the war-theme is much more than a superficial gimmick.
Woven throughout the band’s cavernous record are samples of propaganda pieces, soldiers marching and harrowing interviews, all of which work to build on the album’s overall vibe. Surprisingly, it is on the band’s lengthiest track, Ottoman Rise, that they really hit their peak, delivering an absolutely devastating blast that conjures images of muddy battlefields and eviscerated soldiers. War is hell, and 1914 are taking you to its fiery depths.