The Scandinavian chill of black metal’s second wave found its way to Ontario, Canada in the early 00s, as Panzerfaust’s early albums were beholden to Marduk’s militaristic battery and, less pronounced, the scythe-swinging majesty of Dissection.
Their take on this austere subgenre was therefore of the orthodox variety, but this new EP acts as an interesting transitional step between 2013’s Jehovah-Jireh: The Divine Anti- logos and presumably what we can expect in the near future. Musically, it places the band along a similar discordant axis as Deathspell Omega and other French legions, the rhythms and riffs whipping uncontrollably at times. But unlike DsO, there is also restraint afoot, especially during The Jerusalem Syndrome, which slows to utilise a gait synonymous with post-metal. This dynamic awareness prevents the music from becoming needlessly overwhelming – particularly necessary given the lyrics have philosophical depth – and bodes well for future full-lengths. In addition, they’ve included a curious cover of the folk standard God’s Gonna Cut You Down, popularised by Johnny Cash and bastardised here.
