On September 20, blackened death metal outfit Kanonenfieber will release their sophomore album, Die Urkatastrophe, via Century Media Records. For a preview of the record, a video for the new single, "Panzerhenker" is available below.

On September 20, blackened death metal outfit Kanonenfieber will release their sophomore album, Die Urkatastrophe, via Century Media Records. For a preview of the record, a video for the new single, "Der Maulwurf" (= The Mole), can be viewed below.

Kanonenfieber explains about the back story of "Der Maulwurf": "Underground mine warfare also began in the fall/winter of 1914 with the start of the trench warfare. The pioneers employed to build the mine shafts worked 12-hour shifts, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Apart from the miserable oxygen supply, the so-called 'moles' had to contend with water ingress and burial. The low tunnels made it impossible to work standing up, which is why the miners soon complained of back problems, open knees and hands and trench foot disease. Miners who worked for long periods of time often suffered from mental illnesses and panic attacks as a result of their work."

Regarding Die Urkatastrophe - "The First World War accelerated the path to modernity and is considered the 'Die Urkatastrophe' (= 'primal catastrophe') of the 20th century, which was characterized by wars, violence and displacement. Around 17 million people, soldiers and civilians lost their lives, large parts of Europe were destroyed and unresolved problems were left behind, which led to further violent conflicts. This album is dedicated to the victims of the First World War, so they are not forgotten. May their fates be a warning for all following generations even after more than 100 years," says Noise, who records all instruments in the studio and who is also responsible for the concept of Kanonenfieber.

As with its predecessor, Kanonenfieber's second album Die Urkatastrophe is based on factual reports, letters and original documents from the surviving and deceased soldiers from the First World War. Its intent is not to glorify, because there is no glory in war. Everyone loses - their lives, their souls, their humanity. War is often depicted in an abstract way, through numbers and statistics. Kanonenfieber aim to tell the stories of the nameless and the faceless in order to allow for a small glimpse of their personal horrors, and thereby the larger scale horror for mankind as a whole.

Starting this month, Kanonenfieber will support Amon Amarth and Insomnium before embarking on an extensive European tour soon after Die Urkatastrophe's release.

Albums formats:
--Ltd. Deluxe transp. sand-dark red colored splattered 2LP Artbook
--Ltd. Deluxe orange-black splattered 2LP Artbook (1000x) from Kanonenfieber
--Ltd. CD Mediabook & Patch
--Ltd. Gatefold transp. orange LP & LP-Booklet
--Ltd. Gatefold transp. olive green-white splattered LP & LP-Booklet (300x) at cmdistro.de
--Ltd. Gatefold transp. bottle green-bone colored-black splattered LP & LP-Booklet (500x) at cmdistro.de and various other retailers
--Ltd. Gatefold transp. violet-black splattered LP & LP-Booklet (300x) at Nuclear Blast and Impericon
--Ltd. Gatefold black-orange-white splattered LP & LP-Booklet (500x) from Kanonenfieber
--Ltd. Gatefold white-orange-black splattered LP & LP-Booklet (500x) from Kanonenfieber
--Ltd. Gatefold translucent ruby LP & LP-Booklet (US version) at centurymedia.store and various other retailers
--Standard CD Jewelcase
--black LP
--Digital Album

Preorder here.

Tracklisting:

“Grossmachtfantasie”
“Menschenmühle”
“Sturmtrupp”
“Der Maulwurf”
“Lviv zu Lemberg”
“Waffenbrüder”
“Gott mit der Kavallerie”
“Panzerhenker”
“Ritter der Lüfte”
“Verdun”
“Ausblutungsschlacht”
“Als die Waffen kamen”

"Der Maulwulf" video:

“Panzerhenker” lyric video:

(Photo – Stephanie Rifkin)