Review: “H8 4All” by Kriegsgott

A Black Metal solo project of Black Altar bassist and vocalist Shadow founded in 1999, Kriegsgott (German for “War God“) has been slow burning funeral pyre with just four releases in 22 years. Originally starting out in Olsztyn, Warmia-Masuria in Poland before relocating to London, England it was 7 years before the project saw its first release in 2006’s “Legion ov Revenge“, a debut album of 8 epic anthems of war, loaded with raw intensity and fury. That was followed by 2008’s “Gathered Under the Flame of Ancient Wisdom“, a split with Armaggedon which went further down the rabbit hole with lyrical themes of War, Hatred, Darkness and Death before a second split, this time with Silberbach in 2011 entitled “In the End / Eternal Silence“. However, seems that the 11 year long prison sentence between that last release and this new one “H8 4All” did not need to be, as this was recorded in 2013 and has lain dormant since.

Arriving digitally and as a 7″ Vinyl limited to 250 copies “H8 4All” is something of collectors item which Shadow describes as “Hateful Black Metal in opposition to modern scene“. The triumphant “Intro” uses orchestration build atmosphere as the march of the dark army plays out with ominous intent, sending chills down the spine and raising the hairs on the back of the neck before “H8 4All” takes hold. Thrash infused Death Metal riffs swirl before the blast beats come crashing down and the harsh, raw vocals of a man standing alone amongst a pile of bodies on the battle field calling to the Gods with his sword raised “I hate you all!” begins. The blind fury and pure hatred is felt at a distance as the voice echoes in the canyons that surround. Perhaps more of a brutal onslaught is the relentless “Victory Through Intolerance” which knows no bounds as it spits and snarls its way through the lyrics with venomous intent, sitting neatly between the recent works of Snorlax and EOS in its intensity. Given that this EP is 8 years old, there is no loss in production value, it sounds just as nasty today as it probably did then [7.5/10]

Track listing

1. Intro
2. H8 4All
3. Victory Through Intolerance

“H8 4All” by Kriegsgott is out 26th January via Odium Records with pre-orders available here.