Before releasing their sophomore album Die Urkatastrophe on Friday (September 20th), Kanonenfieber are dropping their last single and video. Watch "Waffenbrüder" (= Brothers in Arms), produced by Grupa13, below.
Kanonenfieber about "Waffenbrüder": "It is the year 1916. Two best friends stand in the clothing depot of a Bavarian barracks. With chests swelling with pride, they receive their field-gray uniforms. They are going to war.
"For so long, they had yearned for adventure. Even as young boys, they listened in awe to the stories their fathers told around the campfire: man-to-man combat in glorious battles. Armed with sticks, they reenacted their favorite heroes and won many a victory. Since childhood, they had been brothers in arms.
"But now, in the shadow of the front and the barrage of shells, their childhood dreams begin to fade. Only the sheer will to survive and their bond of friendship keeps them alive. For now. By day they man their post, by night they shelter in the dugout—nothing can separate them. Almost nothing, for the enemy artillery has the power to tear apart iron, flesh, and even the strongest of bonds. So it happens that during the spring offensive, a shell strikes the foxhole occupied by the two friends, taking one of them down into the earth with it. And there he remains, the brother in arms, buried in foreign soil, as far from home as one could ever be.
"The surviving friend, deeply stricken by grief over the loss, composed a laurel for his fallen comrade. And those words of sorrow have been made tangible and audible. This is the true story of brothers in arms.”
And this very laurel can be found as a printed copy in both artbook versions of the album.
As a bonus, Maik Weichert from Heaven Shall Burn contributed a guitar solo to the song.
Regarding Die Urkatastrophe - "The First World War accelerated the path to modernity and is considered the 'Die Urkatastrophe' (= 'primal catastrophe') of the 20th century, which was characterized by wars, violence and displacement. Around 17 million people, soldiers and civilians lost their lives, large parts of Europe were destroyed and unresolved problems were left behind, which led to further violent conflicts. This album is dedicated to the victims of the First World War, so they are not forgotten. May their fates be a warning for all following generations even after more than 100 years," says Noise, who records all instruments in the studio and who is also responsible for the concept of Kanonenfieber.
As with its predecessor, Kanonenfieber's second album Die Urkatastrophe is based on factual reports, letters and original documents from the surviving and deceased soldiers from the First World War. Its intent is not to glorify, because there is no glory in war. Everyone loses - their lives, their souls, their humanity. War is often depicted in an abstract way, through numbers and statistics. Kanonenfieber aim to tell the stories of the nameless and the faceless in order to allow for a small glimpse of their personal horrors, and thereby the larger scale horror for mankind as a whole.
Starting this month, Kanonenfieber will support Amon Amarth and Insomnium before embarking on an extensive European tour soon after Die Urkatastrophe's release.
Albums formats:
--Ltd. Deluxe transp. sand-dark red colored splattered 2LP Artbook
--Ltd. Deluxe orange-black splattered 2LP Artbook (1000x) from Kanonenfieber
--Ltd. CD Mediabook & Patch
--Ltd. Gatefold transp. orange LP & LP-Booklet
--Ltd. Gatefold transp. olive green-white splattered LP & LP-Booklet (300x) at cmdistro.de
--Ltd. Gatefold transp. bottle green-bone colored-black splattered LP & LP-Booklet (500x) at cmdistro.de and various other retailers
--Ltd. Gatefold transp. violet-black splattered LP & LP-Booklet (300x) at Nuclear Blast and Impericon
--Ltd. Gatefold black-orange-white splattered LP & LP-Booklet (500x) from Kanonenfieber
--Ltd. Gatefold white-orange-black splattered LP & LP-Booklet (500x) from Kanonenfieber
--Ltd. Gatefold translucent ruby LP & LP-Booklet (US version) at centurymedia.store and various other retailers
--Standard CD Jewelcase
--black LP
--Digital Album
Preorder here.
Tracklisting:
“Grossmachtfantasie”
“Menschenmühle”
“Sturmtrupp”
“Der Maulwurf”
“Lviv zu Lemberg”
“Waffenbrüder”
“Gott mit der Kavallerie”
“Panzerhenker”
“Ritter der Lüfte”
“Verdun”
“Ausblutungsschlacht”
“Als die Waffen kamen”
“Waffenbrüder”:
"Der Maulwulf" video:
“Panzerhenker” lyric video:
(Photo – Stephanie Rifkin)
