TRENCHANT is a Blackened Death Metal band based in Austin, Texas. They formed as a trio in 2016 and like the war-mired troops they conceptualize in their music, they have been steadily marching to claim the field. In 2018 they released their three-track demo, “Martial Chaos.” In 2022 they released their debut full-length, “Commandoccult,” via Godz ov War Productions which comprised nine tracks including new renderings of the three that appeared on their demo. This year, August 31, 2023 to be exact, “Commandoccult” has been rereleased via Darkness Shall Rise Productions and is set for wider distribution.

“Commandoccult” was reviewed back in May 2022 here in Metal Temple by Craig Rider (https://metal-temple.com/review/trenchant-commandoccult/), so I won’t replicate his good work except to say I concur with his assessment which granted the album a very strong 8/10. I will note that the two differences between last year and now, apart from 12 months’ worth of history, is that TRENCHANT has beefed up their ranks by adding a second guitarist, Eliseo Lara aka LRA, who had graced the stage with them throughout the US. The other, as alluded to above, is a label switch to Darkness Shall Rise Productions.

According to some sources there are over 100 armed conflicts raging today. I’m not sure if there is more war on the planet today than there was in previous years, but the recent incursions in the Ukraine as well as Gaza have certainly brought it more fully into worldwide consciousness. Based on that alone, TRENCHANT’s focus on martial themes seems more relevant than ever and Blackened Death seems like the perfect vehicle to carry its message. And to be clear, I don’t think TRENCHANT glorifies war, instead they depict it in all its bitter truth. Sadly, “Commandoccult” is a befitting statement of our time.