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Army

      
         
         
         
     
             
Von Panzer are a heavy metal & hard rock band from Sweden founded in 2005 by drummer Niclas Kleist, releasing their self titled debut album in 2008. The follow up, 'Von Panzer II' was released in 2010. The band has endured many line up changes throughout their career, with founding member Niclas, and singer Andreas the only two constants. The bands third album 'Marching' was released in 2013 with a CD single 'Travis', released in 2015 to celebrate the bands tenth anniversary. 'Army' is their fourth album and was released in 2016.    
             
With lyrical themes surrounding the world wars and associated events, Von Panzer is a juggernaut of heavy doom style riffing. Their fourth album 'Army', opens with the crescendo building and atmosphere setting 'The Sight Of Navarone', before launching into 'The Guns Of Navarone'. A menacing and thunderous foot stomp, 'The Guns Of Navarone' chimes in at over eight minutes and is a musical interpretation of the 1957 novel of the same name. 'Dia De Muertos' is riff heavy and is a relentless chug that will have you stomping your feet furiously. Dia De Muertos is Spanish and translates to The Day Of The Dead, a Mexican celebration of their country's ancestry. The opening double salvo is mid tempo, doom style heavy rock that is actually quite catchy, and will slowly and relentlessly, infect your senses.    
             
The pace of the album slows a little more as 'Bob' rambles in. With many doom style albums, there is a feeling of the melancholy, but am thankful to say that this album doesn't have that feel. A feeling of menace and fear is what this album has, just like an army marching into war at a relentless and consistent pace. The second of three eight minute plus songs, 'The Parachutist', lifts the menacing mood a little, retaining the almighty foot stomp, the signature sound running through this album from start to finish. A blues style mid song guitar solo echoes the sound of the seventies rock style and 'The Parachutist' is a meandering journey of various musical influences.    
             
Creating a very heavy and throbbing rhythm, 'As The World Burns' thunders in with a venomous and threatening style vocal delivery. Heavy enough to crush skulls, 'As The World Burns' is a pulsating buzz, as it swaggers on its way. The heaviest song on the album marches on relentlessly, with violent head nodding the order of the day. 'Inside Outside' lifts the atmosphere and is a hard rocking and punchy slab of heavy rock. Lighter than anything else on offer, 'Inside Outside' injects a bit of pace, adding a shed load of energy to become an electrifying slice of bombastic hard rock. The album is brought to an end with the lumbering 'The Orb', over eight minutes of pulsating and pounding heavy rock.    
             
Overall, an album of heavy, doom style hard rock/metal, delivered at a relentless mid tempo pace.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for Von Panzer    
             
             
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