Stahlsarg – “Comrades In Death” [Album Review]

I’ve been looking forward to hearing more from this band since I witnessed them lay waste to Bloodstock a year or so ago, on the recommendation of a couple of mates. Well, having stood mere metres from the group as they blasted through their brief, but ferocious set, I had high hopes for this slice of blackened war-metal from Suffolk. So, does it live up to expectations?

Well, while there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the hellish racket Stahlsarg concoct on this album, Comrades In Death suffers from that issue that affects a lot of black metal albums in so much as, no matter how hard they try, no amount of studio shenanigans can replicate that stench of blood, sweat, leather and smoke that you get when you see bands like this in the flesh.

Like I said though, other than that there is nothing at all you can fault these Suffolk ragers on when it comes to the feral fury of tracks like “From Factory To Fortress Of Rubble And Iron.” Very old school in the delivery, Comrades In Death is a raw-sounding record. With guitars that buzz like a chainsaw, songs like “Damocles XIII” scream at you with hellish blasts of guttural black metal and, for a moment, I was taken back to that smoke-filled tent in Derbyshire where I first crossed paths with Stahlsarg.

As the only real problem with the album is that you don’t get the stench of death in your nostrils, it’s hard to really fault Comrades In Death. It’s a raw, brutal, vicious album with a lovely old school feel about it and one that certainly won’t disappoint headbangers and extreme metal enthusiasts alike.

Track Listing:

01. Razed To The ground
02. Seelow heights
03. From Factory To Fortress Of Rubble and Iron
04. Damocles XIII
05. Wolves of the Sea
06. Under the Shadow of the Silver Runes
07. Castle Wewelsburg
08. Frostbite Division
09. In the City of Trapped Souls

Run Time: 46:24
Release Date: October 23, 2015

Check out the album ‘Comrades In Death” here.