When BOLT THROWER split up in 2016, following the tragic death of drummer Martin Kearns, a very unique stamp on the metal world was lost. Who else could write albums that work as soundtracks for Warhammer?! Edinburgh, Scotland's DEATH KOMMANDER in their debut album will immediately conjure up the very fondest memories of BOLT THROWER'S finest moments. This is far from a pale imitation, however. Rather it is a sincere and beautiful love-letter to (possibly) the UK's best death metal band. These Edinburgh gents serve up a hearty helping of war-inspired death metal that, whilst perhaps not filling the void left by BOLT THROWER, certainly provides us with some sense of continuity.

From the mournful tune that runs across the "Intro" track the scene is set, and "Tunes of War" kicks things off with a bang. Chunky riffs coupled with relentless double-bass drumming keeps up a steady tempo, while grumbly bass provides all the rumbling menace of an approaching tank. Seriously, the bass sounds like you're at Tankfest and Tiger 131 is rumbling towards you!

"Steel Reaper" features some totally delicious riffage, some of the best on the album. There's almost a groove feel here, such is the riff mastery on display. The song is told from the perspective of a machine-gunner, a mood fed by the machine-gun-like guitars. "Incoming Death" creates an uneasy air with a full-on intro shoved right in the listener's face. The chorus features a harmony reminiscent of BOLT THROWER'S "Eternal War": it just makes you want to shout "SPACE MARIIIIIIINES!!!!!"

"Shock Trooper" delivers more satisfying crunchy guitars, as well as a cheeky nod to KREATOR with the line "The pleasure to kill" - God, I love it when bands do that! "Mechanised Warfare" opens with the sound of a tank engine (an actual one this time, not just the bass!) and is pretty much the music you'd expect to accompany a line of charging WWI-era tanks. "Unnamed Grave" evokes a dark topic, accompanied by a suitably dark and foreboding riff. Lyrics that convey the horror of going into battle to a certain death dial up the gravity to eleven - really explains succinctly the difference between war metal and this "war-inspired death metal"; war metal celebrates death and battle, this most certainly does not.

"Play of Death" grabs a deeply uncomfortable topic (PTSD - or 'shellshock' as it was referred to during WWI) and holds it up for us to contemplate. One of the great things about metal is its unique ability to deal with severe subject matter. Much like SLAYER'S "Eyes of the Insane", "Play of Death" paints a bleak picture of the toll that war takes on a person's psyche. "Flanders Blues" is a witty and irreverent piece of wordplay for two reasons. Firstly, war is hardly an appropriate topic for the classic blues song a-la "Woke up this mornin'." The other reason is perhaps another subtle nod, this time to ENTOMBED'S "Wolverine Blues". I do get a kick out of these in-jokes and self-references!

"Flamethrower" features the very best riffs on the album, in addition to a tantalisingly thumpy bass intro. This is a real high-point, worthy of the very best of their artistic forebears. "The March" jumps playfully and seamlessly between timings, stepping back and forth into a kind of demented war waltz. Closer "Pro Patria Mori" is a haunting reimagining of a certain Wilfred Owen poem featuring just that line.

As fun as this album most definitely is, there are more serious notes to which I have alluded. Those familiar with their WW1 prose will recognise the album title as the final line of the aforementioned Wilfred Owen poem: "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" - "How sweet and fitting it is to die for one's country." As a satirical piece on the horror and senselessness of war, I doubt the significance of this to the album is lost to the listener, especially in the final track where we get such sobering lines as "One gladly dies for their country, I wonder if the dead would agree."

I have had the great pleasure of being able to often say that for a debut album what we have is very impressive, and that is certainly true here. I don't wish to labour the comparison to BOLT THROWER to death, as I have already argued that this is not a simple rip-off or pale imitation. However, I think I would be justified in lobbying for DEATH KOMMANDER as a worthy successor in this tradition. The war-inspired death metal of this specific flavour is certainly a very narrow micro-genre, but the metal world is so much more interesting with this in it. To DEATH KOMMANDER I say, "I salute you! Carry on!"