When it comes to extreme metal bands taking influence from wars past, there really does not feel to be any shortage of acts that are able to do the concept injustice. From legends like Bolt Thrower to modern legends-in-the-making like 1914, we’re being absolutely spoiled with war-themed metal, yet it never really seems to get old even when it’s done half-competently. Whenever I go into a new work in that vein, I always prepare myself for the first to do it poorly, and I did my best to remain optimistic about whatever may happen within Chainsword’s forthcoming full-length, but, thankfully, my worries were all for naught.

While I cannot sit here and say that this is the best war-themed metal that I’ve heard in the last few years, see the aforementioned 1914 and even Minenwerfer if you’d want my opinion on that, but in no imaginable way does Chainsword do anything wrong with this absolutely massive effort that does not hold back. “Blightmarch” is not a strictly war-themed record, but the influence and settings are clearly there as we can see in the song titles and even audio clips like towards the end of the final track with their flavors spread out amongst the remainder of the album, and it’s done fantastically as Chainsword never once drops the ball when it comes to their brand of death metal that is far more than fitting for everything that they bring forth through all of these ten tracks of pure unrelenting power. That cover art may turn people away thinking that Chainsword may be one of those bands that don’t take their brand of death metal too seriously with their sound being almost silly in nature, but that couldn’t be any further from the truth. Chainsword does no less than go right for the fucking throat for the overwhelming entirety of “Blightmarch” such that it’s not until the end of the record that you’re given a moment to breathe from all the blood-drenched riffage and undeniable power that’s constantly pouring forth with the euphoria alone being enough to make you dive back into these screaming depths.

Everything about this record is amazingly brutal right from the beginning note all the way to that final, defiant burst of flesh-hungry fury that closes out “Blightmarch” with every move that the band makes being all but perfect in order to craft an experience that is no less than deliciously vicious all the way to the end. Chainsword’s reputation may be virtually nonexistent up to this point, but if the content of “Blightmarch” is anything to go off of then it shouldn’t be long before heads start to turn towards to sheer magnitude of power that’s bleeding out of every minute of this record.

“Blightmarch” releases on February 27th via Godz ov War Productions!

LISTEN to “Blightmarch” on Bandcamp here.

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