Eastern Front - Blood on Snow

December 8, 2010

Reviewer: Chris

Release Date: September 13, 2010
Label: Candlelight Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  Stalinorgel
2.  Battle Of Smolensk
3.  Blood On Snow
4.  Unleash The Panzer Division
5.  Motherland
6.  Dvenadtzat Kilometrov Ot Moskvy
7.  At The Gates Of Moscow
8.  Where Warriors Once Fell

Total playing time:  49:12

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*Comments:

The running trend today seems to be many black metal bands switching gears to the topic of war and ancestral lineage. This is nothing really new; Sodom did it in ’88 with Persecution Mania¸ Kreator attempting the war topic, as did a number of other bands who figured out the satanic and evil thing was becoming, dare I say, old hat by the end of the Eighties. The difference between then and now is that back then it was new and somewhat acceptable since the dramatics of the scene had shifted gears and Venom had run the gamut on the ‘evil’ shtick. Since then, the number of outright thieves and imitators is too numerable for me to risk yet another headache thinking about it.

From England we have Eastern Front whose debut album titled Blood on Snow tries to combine the better elements of black metal and this current rise of ‘war metal’, which, to be honest, I’m more apt to enjoy and listen to because I’m quite frankly all but done with these new bands pimping out that Norwegian sound. While the typical style is here in the album, the silly, overused “keyboards for atmosphere” are happily missing and we have a caustic holocaust of some decent black metal that showcases some of the historical aspects of war and battles therein. Devoid of repetitive tremolo picking that pretty much stagnates throughout, Blood on Snow showcases some good riffs and relies more on style and groove than speed and fury. “Blood on Snow” houses a significant late 80’s power/thrash feel amidst some of the more modern black influences, and the formula does well for itself. The vocals are very typically black metal from guttural lows to shrieking highs, all mixed to a credible degree.

What sets this apart for me is the utter lack of generic black metal sound that enforces the “speed for Satan” rule that all black outfits seem to have nailed above their practice space’s doorframes. Slower, seemingly passionate and moody, some of the tracks on the album are just plain great. The only thing I can do without is the low register growls; if you must sing low, great, it breaks up the predictable pace, but the grindcore vocals just leave me flat. That said, that does little to detract from the listening experience for me, which says a lot. “While nothing here will set the world on fire, songs like “Unleash the Panzer Division” are really quite good, despite the obvious Marduk connotations. “Motherland” also provides some amazing visages if your mind is so inclined to delve outside the modern era and back to a time where tanks and bombers were as casual noises as a car horn down the block. I especially like the drumming here, which is fast and blasting in spots, but not overbearing. The production is pretty solid as well; it’s always a plus to hear a black metal band actually care enough about potential buyers and fans to produce the music accordingly. Let’s face it, the ‘necro’ sound of the early 90’s was fun and innovative for about ten minutes, now it’s back to the front and time to pay attention to and care about your art.

For some truly good black metal that doesn’t overpower itself with (un)fancy rhetorical nonsense all the way through, Blood on Snow can be a happy alternative. What does it for me is the totality of the music itself, and that’s enough to warrant a listen.