Review by Felix on December 29, 2019.

An extremely merciless, razor-sharp riff bursts out of the speakers. The uncompromising attack called "Hell wie tausend Sonnen" does not only benefit from the full-length's excellent production (pay attention to the brilliant snare sound) which hits me vehemently. It also makes clear that we are back at the frontline of OHL's never ending war against the enemies of democracy. After seven years of silence, the formation reappears and, good news, its fighting spirit is still unbroken. With songs like the overwhelming opener, the pugnacious dudes demonstrate sustainably that they are willing to break through every enemy line, and due to their arsenal of weapons - read: song material - I have no doubt that they will survive.

This time mainly the neo-Nazis appear in the hair cross of the permanently combative band. Song titles like "Keinen Führer keinen Gott" speak for themselves. OHL always keep the proper distance to those unteachable creatures who still think that uncle Adolf's so-called ideology was the be-all and end-all. "Deutschland 2003", for instance, depicts a manifesto against radical nationalistic ideas. Moreover, two songs deal with the turning point of World War II and in particular the cruel and nightmarish "Der unbekannte Soldat" glitters with very strong chords and some morbid trace elements. Unlike the second song (the hyper-fast closer "Stalingrad") about the catastrophe of the fawning general Paulus, it expresses at least a modicum of compassion for the soldiers who had been sent to death by a merciless and ultimately misanthropic regime. Therefore, I prefer this mid-paced track, because it offers a certain depth.

Nonetheless, it goes without saying that the high-speed outbursts also enrich this comeback. Especially "Gott mit uns", the first song of the second half, is on an equal footing with the perfect opener. Whipping guitars drive the song forward and they do it at lightning speed. OHL always reach their top form as soon as they combine ingenious riffs with an extra portion of velocity. "Der Preis der Freiheit" is the third song which confirms my thesis. It is almost even better than the opener and I guess this alone speaks volumes. No doubt, this irresistible outbreak of fury was obviously created to break necks and I guess it has been already successful in a lot of cases. (My neck is still on my shoulders, but I have lost many brain cells while banging to this guitar inferno. Well, it doesn't really matter due to my low intellectual power.)

Generally speaking, the less rapid pieces do not stand in the shadow of the fiery orgies that celebrate velocity. But I cannot hide the fact that the anti-socialist "Hammer und Sichel" or "Ein Volk ein Reich ein Führer" (which is, of course, a song against ultra-nationalism) are not able to challenge the rapid highlights, because their slightly ordinary guitar work does not make my day. But the melody lines of "Der Morgen gehört uns" show that mid-paced numbers can be great as well, in particular due to the fact that they somehow remind me of some harmonies of The Ramones. I am not quite sure whether the role models from New York have been an influence for OHL, but one thing is for sure: there exists a certain spiritual relationship between these bands. Everybody knows that Johnny Ramone was a very conservative and pretty stubborn patriot, while his "brothers" had a completely different point of in view in terms of politics. Not to mention Dee Dee's pronounced affinity for Germany which shows up in many tunes of the Ramones, inter alia their final number "Born to Die in Berlin". And sometimes it seems as if Deutscher W. alone embodies all these political tendencies, but he always keeps away from violent extremism. Thus, he appears to me like someone who is in a (very) critical solidarity with his homeland. Just listen for example to the lyrics of "Mit dem Rücken zur Wand". This is the tenth track of another great album which is called... but I guess that's another story.

Rating: 8.8 out of 10

Review by Chris Pratl on February 16, 2019.

How sweet it is to hear another gem from one of the better bands to emerge from Illinois in as many years. To the Frontlines is Züül's sophomore effort and actually surpasses the majesty of the debut from 2010. I never had a doubt. 

Züül is one of those bands that just forces you to eagerly anticipate its next musical move. After hearing Out of Time two years ago and having the privilege of doing an “Emerging Talent” profile of my fellow statesmen, I knew well what was coming for the metal movement with these guys. There are no bells and whistles, no pomp and circumstance, and no flimsy efforts with Züül; what you hear is pure metal music that at times calls upon Thin Lizzy's magical prowess meshing perfectly with some of the classic traditional sounds of the infamous NWOBHM. With a quick and razor-sharp precision, To the Frontlines captures a moment in time and provides a new and improved soundtrack for the modern metal era. Along with Speedwolf, these guys are going to keep making loud noises all over the genre. 

Each track follows a similar pattern in the basic, stripped-down galloping through barren battlefields of yesterday's influential forefathers. Whereas many bands today seem to be calling upon this artifact of a heavy metal sound, Züül manages to step up the momentum by issuing fist-banging, head-bobbing anthems like “In the Cellar” or “Show No Mercy”, which showcase the band's ability to fire on all cylinders and offer both the aging 'head and the young upstart a fine view form a bridge often buried under commercial rubble. From the standard riffs to the resonating guitar solos, this album finds the very best of modern heavy rock and takes the process to another level of greatness. The speedy effort of “Heavy Lover” sounds like something straight off the old Mausoleum label's itinerary, and if you're not familiar with it you're simply missing out. This track here is the catalyst for a past greatness that is revisited with the utmost care and diligence. The thick wall of sound that Züül produces within these songs pretty much covers the ground and simmers before ascending slowly towards the ceiling in a sort of bluish haze that's too perfect for textual summarizing. 

Once “Skullsplitter” passes into the headphones I immediately backpedal to my Thin Lizzy comparison, only with much more viable speed and intensity, though the Gorham-like riffs and tones are ever prevalent. With a high-intensity output of that caliber, the slowdown of “Of the Fallen” is a welcome instrumental 'lull' that fools you into thinking you're in for a respite, only to be dropped face first into “Bounty Land”, a sort of anthem-like effort that marches along rather nicely. Vocalist Brett Batteau has that familiar even tone that sounds so British Metal it's hard to fathom this being a new release, but rest assured it is and Züül is one of the bands for the new generation that you simply need to hear. 

There's no sophomore jinx here, people - To the Frontlines encompasses all of the antiquity of the distant past and the relevant tenacity of today's take-no-prisoners metal assault for the perfect sound in an imperfect period. Stop wishing for the past to come alive and rejuvenate the spirit with some classic rock 'n roll.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

(Originally written for www.metalpsalter.com)