Releasedate:   18-09-2029
Label: Time To Kill Records

Musicians tend to evolve, change, and grow. But there comes a day when they look back and want to relive the intensity of their early days.

That’s kind of how I feel about this debut from the Dutch band Trenchwar, which consists of musicians who have played in some of the most important bands in the broader hardcore scene, both on the local scene and Europe as a whole. It’s hard not to be at least familiar by name with bands like Backfire!, Modern Life is War, and Born from Pain, among others, that appear on Trenchwar’s CV.

As for their sound: metallic hardcore that blends elements from all the aforementioned bands, sometimes stripping away the excess metal elements to sound like Terror, and at other times seems to offer headbanging material for Hatebreed fans, while also featuring speed drops where the music sinks into the mud of Crowbar (in the NOLA-soaked swamp track “Solace In Sulphur”).

The production, on the other hand, is massive and overwhelming; it comes in, rings your doorbell, and runs off to hide, leaving you to sift through the various influences that Trenchwar, through their experience, have blended into a cohesive whole. Although the album constantly shifts stylistically, the production manages to maintain a consistent cohesion across all the songs, a fact that makes this release even more satisfying.

The drums of former Born from Pain member Pieter Hendriks feature a huge variety of rhythms, ranging from traditional punk beats with imaginative fills and sweaty d-beats to slower, monolithic hits, giving this band an amazing stability, with Giel Blankers rounding out the sound with his bass, giving your ears exactly what they need. Ché Snelting’s vocals, on the other hand, are as hard as steel and are sure to draw in all fans of ’90s hardcore, as well as those who like it mixed with metal elements.

Riffs and melodies from the guitars of Harm Haverman and Ivan Cuijpers hold immense promise for the future of the band, the songs carry rousing gang choruses and there are moments that would even have Bolt Thrower clapping along.

Seeking to express themselves in their native language, Trenchwar present “Het stof daalt” (meaning “the dust has settled”) as a tribute to the mines in Limburg and, I suppose, all the social change their closure brought to the region, while “Overlords of Cold” closes with “Martelaar,” which means “martyr” referring to someone who sacrifices themselves for their ideals offering a unique post-metal epilogue.

If this is just the beginning, I definitely want to see what comes next, and I’ll keep my eyes open in case Trenchwar ever makes it to South Holland. This material is made to be played loud and live.

Line up:

• Ché Snelting – Vocals (formerly of Born From Pain, Herder, Arma Gathas)
• Harm Haverman – Lead guitar (formerly of Reaching Forward, Modern Life Is War, Backfire!)
• Ivan Cuijpers – Guitar (formerly of Cliteater)
• Giel Blankers – Bass guitar, vocals (formerly of No Turning Back, Backfire!)
• Pieter Hendriks – Drums (formerly of Reaching Forward, Born From Pain)

Links:

Instagram
Bandcamp
Facebook