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A punishing album that is well worth the five year wait.-
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| Panzerchrist: Regiment Ragnarok |
Black Metal, Death Metal
Listenable Records
April 18th, 2011
- Prevail - 3:48
- Panzer Regiment Jylland - 3:44
- Metal Tribes - 5:00
- Impact - 3:32
- For the Iron Cross - 4:21
- We March as One - 3:52
- The Armour of Armageddon - 3:29
- Ode to a Cluster Bomb - 4:39
- King Tiger - 3:25
- Feuersturm - 5:24
- Time for the Elite - 1:03
- Trenches - 3:30
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| Review Information |
Release length: 45:46
Review posted on June 14th, 2011
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| | Overall Score: 9/10 |
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| Discography |
Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed. |
| Full-Length(s): |
Six Seconds Kill (1996) • Outpost - Fort Europa (1999) • Soul Collector (2000) • Room Service (2003) • Battalion Beast (2006)
Regiment Ragnarok (2011)
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| EP(s): |
Forever Panzer (2007)
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| Compilation(s): |
Bello (2007) • Himmelfartskommando (2008)
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| Review |
Panzerchrist has been a staple band in the whole Black Metal/Death Metal scene for quite some time now. Ever since their full-length debut album Six Seconds to Kill, the band has torn the Metal world apart and issued solid release after solid release. It also doesn't help that the band seems to be in absolutely no rush to issue album after album, which more then likely contributes to the fact that each full-length of this band's career has had varying degrees of positive feedback from fans and press. With only five full-length releases under their belt, and just as much time without a follow-up album since Battalion Beast, Panzerchrist prepare to tear into the Metal world once again with unrelenting devastation. After waiting five years since the last album dropped, does the band deliver with this latest effort?
Regiment Ragnarok blasts in with extreme authority shortly after the introduction of "Prevail" including a tank firing and starting a war that the sound effects push onto the listener. This solidifies another Panzerchrist release with a strong theme dealing with war, and given the assault the band brings with them, it simply feels right. The deep gutturals match the intensity of the Black Metal foundation, leaving behind a grim yet chaotic atmosphere in it's wake coupled with the intimidation of the mixed Death Metal influences. This makes up much of the song, but there is a more straight forward Black Metal passage filled with melancholic hooks that bring in a bit of melody to the madness for a bit in it's most grim form. This intensity stands strong, and gives the general idea to the listener of what to expect with the album, but it's not what the whole thing is limited to as other tracks on the release prove.
One of the things that immediately become clear with this release is that Panzerchrist doesn't hold back. The main concept is clearly focused on brutality and melancholy, which captures the whole feel of war, or at least what the every day man thinks of war in general, superbly. At times, the music feels hopeless, and at times it can feel commanding, or even a bit epic, the latter of the three becoming rather evident in the brutal "Panzer Regiment Hylland" as some of the chords really take the atmosphere of the song to a level that feels about to go over-the-top, but instead feels more suiting to a glorious event that isn't necessarily depicted in the music. "Ode to a Cluster Bomb" also has this more epic vibe to it, but it exists through the more sorrowful atmosphere that is so strong through the various speeds of the song, mostly the furious and high speed sections of brutality. However, one thing that does remain a constant throughout the whole recording is the use of furious drumming that hangs more on modern Black Metal concepts, though sometimes not to the lengths that you can call it nothing but blast beats. This would also be a poor way to describe the album as there are plenty of moments throughout each song that the drumming offers more then just machine gun double kicks and constant snares and cymbols, which seems to give shades of bands like Emperor into the mix of modern day Black Metal like Marduk, but a bit restrained with a strong focus on Death Metal in a manner that doesn't sound like the stereotypical approach for a band of this style.
And with all that also comes varying degrees of intensity. Tracks like "Prevail" and "Impact" really set the album up to be a ruthless assault on the listener, and they really do a good job at that. There's no denying the pounding fury present in this release is impressive and, while not necessarily the most original, it's the farthest thing from repetitive, or even the norm in today's Black/Death Metal world, as well as utilizes adding some variety to the music. While these tracks can clearly make your pulse pound along with the blistering guitar work and varied pounding drumming, there's songs such as "For the Iron Cross" that offer up a completely different approach. Yes, the song does eventually turn into another blistering assault with some real Technical Death Metal included at times, but it stats off slow and somber, then just builds at a fast pace to engulf the listener with brutalizing melancholy and despair, standing out nicely as a far different experience from the aforementioned tracks. The addition of keyboards to give the song a bit of a cold, yet apparent sleek feel at the end, works well to continue building the song even when it reaches it's end, though you can't help but want the song to go on and continue building from this point on.
There are plenty of other intense tracks worth being pointed out. "Metal Tribes" makes for a song that feels more like it's based on a Metal anthem, but distorted enough to suit the more hostile style of music and war-based themes of the release. There's also "Ode to a Cluster Bomb" which just feels like absolute madness along the lines of "Prevail" and even "Impact". The same can be said for "Time for the Elite", which is a fantastic song that really shows off the speed and intensity that Panzerchrist can bring through the drumming alone, though it's one minute three second life span is rather depressing given how ruthless the song is. However, there's also the song "Feuersturm", which simply isn't the most inspiring track on the release, and comes off more generic towards the standards set by Behemoth then anything, actually having a bit of a vibe from that band's single "Slaves Shall Serve", but not a direct rip off of the track.
But even with that one track holding the album back, Regiment Ragnarok stands strong on the battle fields. There's a good amount of variety, mixing in traditional ideas with a more modern execution of both the Black Metal and Death Metal styles without falling prey to the standards laid out in the style today. Pretty much every track on here seems to have it's own unique approach, though sometimes it does feel repeated in the album, but not to the point where it goes unwelcomed when it happens, more of an understandable issue then anything given that the album is twelve tracks of relentless Metal with no filler, interludes, or any genuine breaks from the madness outside a slower start with "For the Iron Cross", and an audio sample or two such as on "Panzer Regiment Jylland". Panzerchrist effectively set up the album for it's war-themed assault, and stay consistant with it, the brutality, and melancholic traits that are found throughout. If you're a fan of Panzerchrist, especially one that has waited the five years for a new album, then Regiment Ragnarok will more then make up for that wait and give you a release strong enough to tide you over the next number of years until the next album arrives.
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Digital review copy of this release provided by:
Listenable Records
via Clawhammer PR.
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