Artist: Kampvogn
Album: Den Store Krig
Label: Independent
Release Date: 21/10/2022
Location: Aarhus, Denmark
Kampvogn bring the fury and carnage of the Great War into sonic form with their debut album Den Store Krig. This is a solid slab of OSDM worth every second of your time.
People may look at Den Store Krig and think, “oh great another war themed death metal album, do we really need that?” and the answer to that questions is “yes, yes we do, we always need that more of that.” Also this isn’t your run of the mill war themed extreme metal album this is a top quality WW1 themed death metal album from a band that sits fairly high above many of its contemporaries. What makes it even more impressive is that this is their debut album, a fact that is almost hard to believe with how refined their sound and style are.
You can see some immediate Bolt Thrower influences in the music, with the band’s riff writing style bearing some definite similarities. If you want to see what I mean look no further than track 2 Med Naal Og Traad. Trust me, once that main riff kicks in you’ll know exactly what I mean. Having said that, there’s so much more at play here than Bolt Thrower worship and a lot of the album doesn’t share that same influence. There’s actually quite a variety of different OSDM sounds and styles on display here.
The vocals would have to be one of my favourite elements on the album. They’re powerful, raw and raspy and pierce through the mix like a knife through butter. They also use just the right amount of echoed effects that it feels effective without being overdone. I’m struggling to put my finger on exactly who it reminds me of. It has that biting rawness to it that Tomas Lindberg is known for but takes after Jeff Walker with the underlying sound. There’s also some of David Vincent’s rabid aggression to it and when it hits those lower registers I hear a splash of John Tardy in there too.
Another element that really makes this a must listen is the constant stream of stupidly catchy riffs that are thrown at you from start to finish. Its literally impossible not to headbang along to this album, in fact I challenge you to do so. There’s a certain level of groove mixed in there, but luckily it isn’t to an extent that affects the music’s overall level of aggression or technicality. There’s also some thrash war metal and hardcore inspired riffs thrown into the mix that add some nice variety. The drum work on the album perfectly matches and compliments this energy but brings some other influences to the mix. At times there is some very clear war metal inspiration at play with the drum work.
Overall the album is a prime example of why I love the new wave of OSDM music so much. There are so many amazing new bands that manage to capture the sound and spirit of the 80s and 90s and Kampvogn is definitely one of them. If you enjoy death metal in any capacity then please listen to this album.
Listen to and order the album:
