Review by Felix on June 23, 2021.

No evolution, no change, no repentance. Warhammer worship these well-known Swiss pioneers and they do it in a dignified manner. Already the sound of No Beast So Fierce..., their first album after six long years of silence, speaks volumes. This chunky, heavyweight guitar rolls like a bulldozer over the audience and the vocals have exactly the evil vibes that one expects. The thick mix seemingly intends to suffocate the unsuspecting listener and it is almost successful in doing so. It's like a sticky substance which is emptied over the head of the consumer. High fidelity aesthetes will faint, but the hardened target group grins maliciously while sorting their collection of old school metal shirts.

Warhammer are angry, and their emotional state is motivation enough to increase the average velocity. Without verifying their style, they surprise with many fast-paced songs. Don't worry, the doom elements do not completely disappear, because all compositions contribute to the fatalistic overall impression of the fierce beast. Yet those of you who inevitably connect doom metal with rhythmic inertia will be of the opinion that the thrash and death metal components have gained the upper hand. From my perspective, this fact is an important factor for the high quality of the narrow-minded album. The frightening lava sound of 'The Bloodstained Shadow' shows the listener the way to the flaming gates of hell, but the faster songs are even better. Anyway, instead of always looking right and left, in order to see what the other (mostly fickle) bands are doing, Warhammer only know one direction: straight forward on the path that Hellhammer discovered roughly 35 years ago.

Breaks are more or less "terra incognita" for the band. The efficient Germans are of the opinion that one riff and one tempo is enough to create a great, poignant and monolithic track. A tempo change is allowed every now and then, but it is obvious that the band members think that too much diversity endangers the health of both musicians and listeners. I agree! Warhammer score with simplicity, primitiveness and rudeness, no more, no less. A cobbler should stick to his last, right? The world is full of metal mathematicians, apostles of progress and Wacken adventure "metalheads". Warhammer is the counterpart. Instead of begging for attention or showcasing their technical skills, they are self-sufficient - but not lethargic!

In other words, Warhammer are still inspired in their own way. The result is that one grinding crusher chases the other. Volker Frerich, the uncompromising lead vocalist, informs the audience at an early stage that "all hope is abolished" and those who do not like the first track should take this statement seriously. Everybody else enjoys in particular irresistible meat chunks such as 'Flames Of Armageddon', '...from the Absence Of The Sun', 'Frozen Screams' or 'Total Maniac' where the drummer takes a wild ride on his cymbals. Noteworthy is that some of the songs are ornamented with an almost catchy chorus and generally speaking, there is absolutely no downer on this album. Each and every song spreads these meaty and bloody, morbid and grim vibrations. Warhammer remind us of the fact that real, extreme metal has to be repulsive. Long story short, No Beast So Fierce... gives the drooling mob what it asks for.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Alex Grindor on May 21, 2023.

Among the many branches of extreme metal, there lies a specific sub-genre of dissonant, jarring music that it is completely difficult to grasp at first. This style in particular demands constant attention, like a spoiled child making the most obnoxious of noises. Yet, after constant exposure to this kind of material, one begins to understand (as much as humanly possible) the different layers of cacophony that compose this material. From Gorguts' experimental masterpiece "Obscura" to Deathspell Omega's work post 2004 to Portal, Pyrrhon and all in between, the constant experimentation and desire to take the extreme branch of metal "one step further" has been done constantly for a very long time, with just a few great examples of success.

Ukakuja is an international project that features: Pan Merakli, Jared Moran, Ni Nthentropy, Taylor Belanger and Lori Bravo. These collective of musicians, accompanied by a small array of guest vocalists, have spawned forth a jewel of absolute melting madness in the form of Ōmukade. A 22-minute-travel in and out of mind. A swirling, abrasive wall of guitars, bass and drums toppled with the haunting, disturbing yet soothing vocal performance of Lori that constantly finds new ways to spew abominable sounds from the underworld. A constant vortex of jarring sounds that barely gives room to breathe, while Lori's angelic/tormenting voice lashes, wails, shouts and sings drenched in many an effect to properly distinguish the clarity of her words. Of course, the band is joined by other notorious vocalists as well, from bands such as Thecodontion, Feral Lord and Salqiu. Each of them contributes vocals and lyrics to their respective tracks and their presence enhances the experience of Ōmukade. Despite the instrumentation being a suffocating array of riffs and blast-beats, for brief moments it gives respite, as the drums may slow down at moments while the rest of the instruments continue in their own way. This jarring clash of varied styles and influences constantly shifts, even if some of the instrumentation prefers not to do so,
as the ambient landscape entwines with the inhuman vocal performances. Quite impressive still that, despite Lori's age, she can do such inhuman performance. Her operatic background is weaponized in a disturbing way that clashes yet complements the fellow guest vocals, with all of them delivering an unhinged performance.

The production for the album is well done, as it gives room to every instrument despite their constant frenzy. The bass, drums and guitars are perfectly audible, while relaying almost all kinds of delay and reverb to the many vocals layered in this record. If I had to compare this album, it would be almost impossible no to do so with "The Planet Cachexial" from Lori's former band "Nuclear Death", as her performance on Ōmukade resembles (but never equals) the many vocals, noises and shrieks recorded in that album. In many ways, I could consider Ōmukade its spiritual successor but, unlike ND's album, Ōmukade resembles more the dissonant cacophony of early ND material mixed with deafening riffage, noise experimentation and dark synths. My only issue would be that the drums constantly blast in the most ambient moments of the album, even though this contributes to how inaccessible the record is as a whole.

In just 22 minutes, Ukakuja manages to invoke an incessant, hopeless, ravaging lunacy that (maybe unconsciously) pays homage to Lori's former work, while carving a niche of its own among many other notorious dissonant extreme works. The vast influence of its many members is more than shown here and its payoff is grandiose, with minute issues. The release is limited to 35 copies and if the idea of an insane 22-minute trip interests you, Ōmukade will open its jaws for you to be devoured.

Rating: 9.6 out of 10