Kanonenfieber – Soldatenschicksale (Recommendation)

Kanonenfieber’s third studio album, titled Soldatenschicksale, is essentially not a new album in the traditional sense, but rather a compilation of their three previous EPs. In addition, there are two new tracks:“Z-Vor!”, which was released in August last year, and “Heizer Tenner”, a new song.

That being said, the three EPs were not simply thrown together. All of the material was reworked and re-recorded. This becomes especially obvious when listening to the old and new versions back to back: the recordings and overall sound are clearer, the mixing is different, and the drums and riffs are much more prominent. Some passages were also slightly altered; the two “Füsilier” tracks in particular clearly show an adaptation to the band’s own 2025 sound, which had not yet been present on their debut album.

However, even after listening to it several times, two questions still remain for me: did this album really need to exist in this form, and is it actually worth it? Do the new versions justify a full album, and was this necessary after only five years as a band? Personally, I would say no. Even the excellent “Z-Vor!” and the solid “Heizer Tenner” cannot fully save the album’s overall concept for me. I can also imagine that especially death/black metal fans who prefer a rawer sound might not be particularly fond of the cleaner sound design, despite the supposed “improvements”. That said, the steadily growing number of Kanonenfieber fans will surely appreciate the album just as much as its predecessors. One thing still holds true: the band continues to deliver consistently strong songs that simply work.

Since the release of Die Urkatastrophe (Review) in 2024, it has become quite clear where the band is heading: top spots on upcoming festival line-ups are already in their sights, and this summer they will once again appear on several line-ups that have already been announced. In more and more countries around the world, sandbags are being set up on stages. Whether an in-between album like this is really needed to support the new tour is something the band’s fans will ultimately have to decide for themselves.