It was around 00:15 when I told myself to write another review before I go to bed. So TRUPPENSTURM were next in line. I opened my media player and pressed the "play" button. And in a few seconds...mayhem! I thought that a war was taking place. But let's start in a bit more orthodox way.

Not much is known about TRUPPENSTURM. This one-man project came to birth in 2006. In the same year, they/he released a self titled EP and a year later their debut album. TRUPPENSTURM (meaning "storm troops") first album was "Fields Of Devastation" and it took some good reviews as far as I found out, since I wasn't aware about them until now, so I thought it would be nice to give them a try.

The album starts with war sirens, which are heard again during the album alongside other samples that give you an idea of what's to come: 34 minutes of brutal Black Metal. "Salute To The Iron Emperors" is a direct attack from your speakers. Low tuned guitars, blasts and growls are combined in order to experience this assault. The production is a bit dump, but it is the one one you are expecting for an album of this genre. The first half is not bad, but after a while I begun feeling bored. "Antichrist Imminent!" has a small intro without the blast beats, but in my opinion there should have been more small parts like this one in order to make a more claustrophobic atmosphere. So in one hand I like the "in your face" attitude of the album and its brutality but on the other hand I believe that Vangard Von Rimburg repeats himself after a while.

Overall, "Salute To The Iron Emperors" is not a bad album, but it's not a masterpiece either. I believe that if he had put some weight in the atmosphere and combined it with his brutality the outcome would have been much better. Fans of brutal Black/Death Metal though will be more than happy if they buy this CD.