1914 - Where Fear and Weapons Meet • GRIMM Gent

Ukrainian war machine brigade 1914 achieve world-class status as they expand their foray into the cold and the grim territories of black metal. Three years since the well-received sophomore “The Blind Leading the Blind” which was based on the catastrophic themes of the Great War, the third saga “Where Fear and Weapons Meet” projects an epic chronological journey through the events of WW1. After obtaining a prestigious reputation under the moniker, 1914 wields strong musical ties to the epic themes of battlefields. On the musical grounds, the inspired songwriting provides unique insight into their complex composition of combining grandiose cinematic orchestration that holds excellent musicianship. The third album is replete with machine gun explosions, scorching tremolos, and scathing melodies that are engrossing enough to grip your attention.

The existing division is powered by Westpreußisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 176, Hptm. Ditmar Kumarberg (vocals), The 51st Highland Division, 1/9th Bn. 2Lt. Liam Fessen (guitars), 307th Infantry Regiment, Capt. Walter Wyhovsky (guitars), Le 151e regiment d’infanterie, Cne. Armin d’Harcourt (bass), and K.K. Landwehr – Infanterieregiment Lemberg Nr.19, Obltn. Rostislaw Potoplacht (drums), conveying such ferocity that is almost incredible in force.

The intro sample “War In”, Serbian national folk song from WW1 sets the tone for the entire album. As the guitars and the steamrolling drums gear up for a militaristic march on “FN .380 ACP#19074”, the guitars deliver relentless firepower of black metal warfare, yet push new levels of boundaries and speed. The guitars strike a fine balance between menacing aggression and subversive drum blows. The riffs, while often utilized in rapid fast-paced, are very melodic. On the thematic basis “Where Fear and Weapons Meet” retraces the horror stories of war while the songs once again display unprecedented scale of technique and precision.

While there is an abundance of variety among the songs, they seem to accentuate the brooding menace of the riffs and the awe-inspiring rhythm. The low-pitched growls on “Vimy Ridge (In Memory of Filip Konowal)” exhibits immense intensity where the guitars and the drums move between striking passages and epic mid-tempo sections. All these elements, like the sludgy guitars add dramatic weights in the sonic spectrum, “Where Fear and Weapons Meet” uncovers new qualities that seem to be focused on black metal, the guitar department offers plenty of hooks.

Whereas the innovative blend of the majestic trumpet sets a conquering tone on “Pillars of Fire (The Battle of Messines)” the interflowing riffs and sonic aggression prove that the quintet has strengthened the artillery. 1914 really have created an identity of their own where each song has a clear distinction. The vocals are spine-chilling and conjure the grimness of fierce black metal. The production on this album is superb, clean, and vivid allowing the guitars to maintain a sharp sound, and the drums are well mixed.

1914 offers detailed war concept songs like “Don’t Tread on Me (Harlem Hellfighters)”. Blood-soaked in glorious war anthems, the catchy tremolo hooks combine shimmering melodies and the drums rely on mid-tempo paces although it gets all violent and rapid the crafty composition provides capturing effects that feel almost epic. The heavy artillery of the sludgy riffs is backed by heavy drumming bombardments, “… And a Cross Now Marks His Place” which features Nick Holmes as guest vocals conveys all the expected ferocity you’d expect from the sonic armory. The tremendous riffing shines with savage cruelty and gives sharper peaks to the scorching tremolo lines. The drums unleash 50 caliber machine-gun-like blast beats and deliver steady shelling. “Where Fear and Weapons Meet” reforms the signature sound of these Ukrainian warmongers.

“Corps d’autos-canons-mitrailleuses (A.C.M)” recapture the terrors of war while on the other hand the impressive orchestration is flawlessly layered, its composition uncovers brutal artillery of razor-sharp guitars that are laden with brutal chugging. 1914 establishes a bold sound on their newest effort, there’s plenty of aggression that evokes the sense of morbidity. The tremolo-picked riffs are followed by thunderous cannon-like drums. With “Where Fear and Weapons Meet”, the Ukrainian quintet takes a profound approach to their sound through the epic length of the mid-tempo drums utilizes powerful fills are measured by concentrated double bass and crushing beats. “With God for King and Fatherland” shows how the layering guitar incorporates arrays of blazing riffs and rhythm.

“The Green Fields of France” is a bit off-kilter although the pacing slows down at the right moments adding plenty of well-placed tremolo touches, the track booms powerfully with the concentrative riff barrage. While other elements like the bagpipe instrument capture a triumphant sound, the drums, though, are at times played relentlessly fast they retain a fresh and rawer tone. “Where Fear and Weapons Meet” is full of ferocious bombardments, flawlessly executed by proficient musicians, 1914 once again retells epic stories of heroes and protagonists who survived the Great War.