Band:	Scalpture
Album:	Landkrieg
Style:	Death metal
Release date:	March 07, 2025
A review by:	RaduP

01. The Fall ...
02. Into Catastrophe
03. Til Jeret Undergang
04. Landsknecht
05. Wallenstein
06. Den Mörka Nattens Lejon
07. Of Siege And Besieged
08. Schwedentrunk
09. Hell's Choirs Chant
10. Bellum Se Ipsum Alet

There's been enough metal about World War 1, some of it by Scalpture themselves. Time for some metal about the 30 years war!

For some historical context, back in the 16th and 17th century, the Protestant reformation was a dividing factor among many of Europe's powers, most of which surrounded what was, at the time, the Holy Roman Empire in what is today's Germany, where Scalpture are from. Historical specifics might not be as important to anyone except history buffs, suffice to say the Catholic/Protestant religious division started a conflict that dragged a lot of countries in, including Austria, Bohemia, Sweden, France, Prussia, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands. Territorial changes and alliances and dynastical rivalries are not as relevant as the fact that the war was devastating to what is now Germany, where it was mostly fought, with estimated fatalities among soldiers and civilians, including ones from the resulting famines and disease outbreaks, numbered in the millions.

So while World War 1 rightfully remains in metal consciousness for how horrid it was (and for being able to avoid any nazi connections that talking about WW2 would have), and the likes of Sabaton, 1914, Minenwerfer, Kanonenfieber, as well as previous Scalpture releases, it does not hold the monopoly on wars that bring out the horridness of the concept of war. There's always the pitfall that depicting war would inevitably at best turn it into entertainment, and at worst glorify it, especially when using metal, a genre that specifically uses negative emotions like despair and anger in a cathartic way. Death metal's harsh vocals also make it difficult to use lyricism to make it clear where the intention lies. The album's Bandcamp page does state that "Staying away from glorifying stereotypes, their texts are built on detailed historical research and portray the horrors that the abyss of war" to clarify things in a way better than music alone could.

There's also a reason why death metal is such a prime genre for depicting war. It's in the name: death metal. Even if Bielefeld's (a city that supposedly exists) Scalpture have been at it for more than a decade, it does feel like they are part of a long lineage, and that's true for most of their music as well, hence why they feel somewhat disconnected from the more dissonant and doomy sounds that have been the zeitgeist of death metal since the OSDM explosion. The core of it is distilled pummeling death metal. Of course, an artwork this gorgeous wouldn't fit an album with music that straight-forward, nor would I feel that compelled to try and put into words what makes this album good.

The growly vocals are about what you might expect from some Asphyx worship, them being the one element that I'm least impressed by (aside from the climax of "Bellum Se Ipsum Alet"), though they're by no means bad. The songwriting however does let the instrumental side have its moments where it can deviate from its core death metal sound in ways that make the music more interesting. It's not quite to the point where I can say that the music leans towards the progressive or the technical, but rather expansive. The guitars aren't focused solely on riffs and solos, though those are pretty top notch too, having plenty of moments where the melodies of certain sections of slower paces that are more atmospheric in a way that doesn't feel inherently doom metal leaning. The bass is a big sweet plus, something that is obvious from how the mix does push it to the forefront more than expected.

While I appreciate Scalpture more for the neat ways they deviate from the death metal formula, and for their well-meaning attempt at depicting other human catastrophes of old, a lot of it still feels like it's too indebted to a classic lineage. Out of what I've heard from the band, Landkrieg has been the best attempt at deviating from that and carving a more specific identity.