WAR… IS HELL. Welcome back my fellow blackmetal heads! We’re back with a new review, and this one is a little older, but let me tell you, it is explosive!
War has long been a thematic pillar of black metal, but few bands have channeled its horror as effectively as Ukraine’s 1914. Their 2019 release, The Blind Leading the Blind, is a suffocating tale of World War I, where blackened death metal collides with harrowing storytelling, period-accurate samples, and an atmosphere as bleak as the war itself. This isn’t just an album—it’s an auditory battlefield. So dive into the trenches with me as we talk about this incredible album!
This is the kind of album that you think about when you’re not listening to it. As an atmospheric black metal enthusiast, the moment this came across my playlist I was changed. This is not 1914‘s latest album, but it is a staple in their discography that needs to be talked about. At its core, The Blind Leading the Blind is a fusion of blackened death metal, doom, and historical realism. The guitars churn with the oppressive weight of muddy battlefields, while blast beats hit like artillery shells raining down from above. Vocalist Dmytro Kumar delivers a performance that feels more like a war cry than mere growling—his deep, commanding presence is soaked in anguish, embodying both the soldiers and the grim inevitability of war.
The album leans heavily on its cinematic atmosphere, employing old war songs, chilling battlefield broadcasts, and the rattling of machine guns to transport the listener into the trenches. This isn’t background dressing; it’s an essential part of the record’s identity, making it feel more like a war diary set to extreme metal. Each track sends you deeper into war, but a few tracks stand out that I will talk about now:
“Arrival. The Meuse-Argonne” – The album opens with the tolling of bells and the crackle of war radio transmissions, setting a somber tone before plunging into a full-frontal assault of double bass drumming and tremolo-picked riffs. The track transitions seamlessly between black metal chaos and mid-tempo death metal riffing, capturing both the frenzy and the horror of battle.
“Passchenhell” – A monstrous track that exemplifies 1914’s ability to balance brutality with sorrow. The opening is slow and brooding, with doom-laden chords painting a picture of soldiers trudging through the mud before the song erupts into relentless black metal tremolos. The desperation in Kumar’s vocals makes this one of the most harrowing tracks on the album.
“A7V Mephisto” – Named after the infamous German tank, this track is a war machine in itself. It moves like an unstoppable force, with galloping riffs and relentless drumming mimicking the mechanical advance of armored warfare. The song even incorporates war-era melodies, adding another layer to its historical immersion.
“The Hundred Days Offensive” – Perhaps one of the most dynamic tracks on the record, this song shifts between melodic black metal passages and sheer death metal brutality, reflecting the chaotic final months of the war. The melody here stands out, proving that 1914 is more than just aggression—they are storytellers crafting something genuinely immersive.
1914’s sound sits at the crossroads of black and death metal, but it’s the atmosphere and historical precision that set them apart. The tremolo-picked guitars and blast beats align them with black metal, while the downtuned riffs, guttural vocals, and crushing low-end lean heavily into death metal. Their use of doom metal elements further deepens the sense of despair, making their music feel not just aggressive but oppressive.
Their approach to black metal is unique—not in the traditional cold, pagan, or Satanic sense, but in the cold reality of war. There’s no glorification here, only the bleak depiction of trench warfare, gas attacks, and the futility of human conflict. This makes The Blind Leading the Blind stand out in a genre often fixated on myth and the occult.
1914 doesn’t just make blackened death metal—they make history bleed through their music. The Blind Leading the Blind is a masterclass in thematic cohesion, fusing raw aggression with historical depth to create something both punishing and thought-provoking. If Marduk’s Frontschwein was an all-out blitzkrieg, then 1914’s vision of war is the slow, grinding horror of trench combat—mud, gas, and the deafening silence between the shells.
This is not just an album. It’s a monument to the dead, an unflinching look at the past through the lens of extreme metal. The Blind Leading the Blind cements 1914 as one of the most important voices in war-themed metal today. I encourage you to head on over to 1914‘s bandcamp page and stream this immediately!
