When a well-known Metalhead passes away, it’s extremely sad for the scene, especially when he/she is a musician with legions of fans - even when you aren’t one of them. It’s something that even can sign the end of a band due the trauma left (fuck, if you’re in a band with someone for some years, such person becomes a friend). And after 16 years without releasing full-lengths, the German quartet WARHAMMER is back with “Total Maniac”, their new album. Frederik Aderholz (the band’s guitarist, Tomb Crusher) signs the mixing, while Obscured by Evil (Alex Pusch, in reality) made the mastering. The sonority is simple, old-fashioned and rough, what means that the band’s sound referential is based on those old extreme Metal releases of the first half of the 80s. But even sounding primitive and organic, the hearers will have no great difficulties to understand what’s being played.

Graphically, it is shown on a 3-panel (6-sided) digipak, flooded back inside, and it’s hand-numbered. The quartet was born from the ashes of a HELLHAMMER tribute band, and it’s not a surprise to check that their musical work shares extreme resemblances with the Swiss forefathers of Black Metal and Death Metal. They’re proud of sounding like their greater influences, but even in this way - simple, nasty, distorted and plenty of Hardcore/D-Beat influences - some musical ideas are inherited from other influences (what no one can control), and it sounds really good, with tons of energy being unleashed. It’s not a HELLHAMMER copy, just a band that follows the same path, and the album is truly very good.

After 16 years, the fans will be delighted to hear songs as “Angel of Destruction”, “Excruciation”, “Seven Witches of Malevolence”, “Rise of a New Apocalypse”, “Darkness Death Decay”, “Forced Values”, “Bestial Torment”, “Strike of the Infernal Adversary”, “Total Maniac” and “Dying is Easy” will be a delight, and even being proud of having a HELLHAMMER-like musical work, once more: some musical ideas as inherited from different ways (as some blast beats heard).

“Total Maniac” isn’t just a very good release, but it’s a homage to Volker “Iron Lung” Frerich, the band’s singer and one of its founders, who passed away in 2021. Let’s hope that WARHAMMER can keep its saga after such a traumatic loss.