Teufelsmauer - Our War if Forever (2023)
by Flork
It’s no secret that Czech and Slovak Black Metal derives heavily on the legends and stories concealed beneath the treetops of the Carpathian forests. And why not? There is so much folklore and content to create compositions that evoke imagery of eeriness, fear, and desolation. There are foreboding castles, witches, isolated villages, even bears and wolves lurking in the shadows of the valleys and trees. And if you combine any or all of these elements, you can create the basis of black metal music with themes that are not only unique, but also indigenous to the region.
Now, I have talked in the past about the Carpathians and the myriad of black metal bands who incorporate the folklore into their music. Teufelsmauer is no exception, although it’s difficult to say whether all their songs are specific to the legends of the mountains or not. Our War is Forever is not an overly long album, in fact, it comes in just under 25 minutes in total, with the majority of tracks averaging less than 3 minutes or so. I also need to point out that there are only 2 members of the group who provide all the instrumentation, as well as vocals and lyrics.
The album begins and ends with Intro and Outro, both simple in nature although the latter is the more interesting of the two with the drum beats and simplicity of the guitar strings. But it’s everything in the middle that is heavy and thrashy. Our War is Forever literally kicks off in maximum overdrive with Boot to the Back (the title says it all) and continues with an even harder assault with Krista Vašho (Your Christ), a speedy track that’s heavily laden with a weighty dose of pounding guitars and vocals. Unstable Affliction and Antichrist Crusade follow with more along similar lines of the previous tracks, but I take more notice now of the drums and how they stand out in the forefront. It’s not so much speed drumming or double bass, but you can hear a lot of the high hat and ride cymbal in the beats, which is somewhat unique to the genre. Street Occultist, however, is more grass roots and is by far the track that carries the most rage. It is also an example of organised chaos as the timing and changes in this song are split-second. This track is neither flooded by heavy distortion or production trickery, with the final product being a first-class example of black metal played at its best. And still, this song gets one-upped by Popol, which takes all the previous songs from a maximum of ten to an eleven.
And my prognosis? These guys from Svidnik know how to rock. The production is pretty good as it keeps things constantly raw and edgy. Although it is mentioned that Scrobis takes care of the bass, I hardly heard any in most of the tracks. No matter though, these guys showcased their true skills, which are on the guitars and drums, both of which taking centre stage in every track. And finally, I can also imagine Teufelsmauer playing a raunchy live set without the need of additional musicians. Two guys who like making big sounds, either in front of an audience or not. Definitely a band worth paying sharper attention to in and around the scene.
Blog: Interview#111 Teufelsmauer (2021-Sep)
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