Review by Felix on May 13, 2026.

“Teufels” – this title sounds pretty strange to me. “Teufels” is the genitive of the German word “Teufel” (devil), but it does not make sense when it stands alone. Maybe it has another meaning which is unknown to me, but Warfist always refer to the German name of their hometown, and therefore I think their fourth album deals with the devil in its genitive form. Why not. The scene is full of surprises, and “Teufels” delivers, grammar aside, a fine portion of musical brutality. Based on a powerful, direct, and humourless production, the Polish trio is hammering ten songs into the imaginary crowd, and nine of them are somewhere between solid and excellent.

This naturally raises the question of what has become of the tenth track. Well, the cover version of Arthur Brown’s “Fire” – the original dates from 1968 – is quite simply a flop. Lacking in energy, out of step with the rest of the album, and thoroughly hackneyed, it brings the record to a most undignified close. I really hope this was the last time that someone had the intention to integrate this number on a new album. Even the otherwise absolutely brilliant year 1968 did not only provide a good time. Anyway, 36 minutes with own compositions remain. Warfist have not modified their style; they cruise through the rugged landscapes between thrash, death, and (less identifiable) black metal. Due to the fact that the lead vocalists concentrate on vigorous shouting and not on deep growling, I see thrash as the main component in their sound. However, I speak about a quite brutal form of thrash. Do not seek the Bay Area in Poland! Warfist's understanding of the genre does not shy away from blast beats (“Scorching Trauma”) and further rabid elements. By the way, this song has pretty disturbing lyrics, but the band does not sing about archaic cleansing fires and comparable stuff any longer. Thus, the black metal ingredients are on the retreat.

It is not only the full-length's downer which is easy to find here, but the same also goes for the highlights. The razor-sharp opening riff of “Angel Maker” draws the listener into the song in a matter of seconds and builds the foundation for a thrilling and imposing chorus. Of course, the lyrics are sick again, but who cares? The drive, the momentum, the high velocity of this song, its smooth verses, and the edgy bridge all these features make it easy to enjoy this song. Maybe Warfist finds the key to creating more of this quality in the future. No doubt, they have proved their talent with this reckless bastard.

The other songs are okay without sending me into a state of ecstasy. They are performed in a technically precise way and reflect a cold, non-empathic brutality. Simple, but not primitive song patterns underline the no frills style, and so there is definitely no reason to skip one of the nine songs the guys have written for “Teufels”. They form a stringent album, and bands like Maze of Torment (Sweden) are not too far away from the approach of the Polish dudes. In a nutshell, “Teufels” is filled to the brim with “good friendly violent fun”, only without friendliness and fun. But who would ever want to hear those elements on a thrash/death album?

Rating: 7.3 out of 10