Japanische Kampfhorspiele - Luxusvernichtung

Rating: 8.0

Country: Germany

Genre: Grind/Death

Release Date: 2009

Track list:
Luxusvernichtung
3. Mikrokosmos
27. Enttieren
29. Misanthropie
32. Uberall
33. Werd Doch
36. Vernetzte Welt Geht Unter
42. Zerhatschelt
44. Herrenloser Koffer
45. Liebe Islamisten
49. Vollkommen

Eisenvater & Japanische Kampfhorspiele
2. Tote den Roboter
3. Angstfrass
4. Der Pitch

Band Website: Japanische Kampfhorspiele

Japanische Kampfhorspiele - Luxusvernichtung / Eisenvater & Japanische Kampfhorspiele

Christof Kather - drums
Klaus Nicodem - guitar
Marco Bajo Bachmann - bass
Markus Maria Hoff - vocals/guitar
Martin Freund - vocals
Rene Hauffe - guitar

A band as crazy as Japanische Kampfhorspiele could never happen outside the world of extreme metal. Simultaneously humorous and raging, incisive and low-brow, freakish and familiar, melodic and noisy, catchy and awkward, they are a paradox even to themselves. “Grind/death” seems a rather shallow representation of the goods on offer.

2009 sees a release of both a mini-album (translated roughly as ‘Luxurious Destruction', sub-titled ‘54 short tone-poems') and a split EP with countrymen Eisenvater in which they provide three quarters of the music. Eisenvater get no credit in my view for this split as there is merely a short version of a song from their latest album whereas JK provide not only three new songs but a different philosophy to the mini-album (and more to the point, blow Eisenvater out of the water).

Considering that 44 tracks on Luxusvernichtung are 25 seconds or less (not listed here), you'd be forgiven for pre-judging that there isn't much music on here. Far from it. This is very concise even by the micro-song standard adhered to by Agoraphobic Nosebleed and their ilk and in my opinion a lot more imbued with purpose and objectivity. Just like Mumakil, the emphasis is on destructive high density riffage and super-slick drumming, although JK explore far wider territory than those Swiss maniacs.

Amongst the smorgasbord of styles and influences, it is Kreator's Cause for Conflict that remains rooted in my mind at all times. I've always loved that album. Whereas the majority wanted Coma of Souls part 2, I was delighted by the huge increase in weight whilst retaining the razor edge, the superior drumming, the rabid vocals, the genuinely cool grooves, the shocking bursts of acceleration and the feeling of punky freshness that still hasn't diminished. Imagine the album opener “Prevail” at its climax and that's how you feel when Luxusvernichtung is ripping into you. There is a little touch of Lethargy (pre-Mastodon) and Impaled Nazarene in there too, but most listeners will immediately notice the Melt Banana vocals. In context here, it sounds like an insane German shouting with a cod-Japanese accent whilst his scrotum is being dipped in piranha-infested waters. That may well be how the recording process took place for all I know! The band members clearly realise that listeners will either love or hate the vocals, so they kindly have a bonus track that repeats all the songs as instrumentals. Normally I'd blow a raspberry at this but it is an inspired trick that shows off just how well their music assaults you even without the amphetamine-fueled jabbering. “Mikrokosmos” and “Vollkommen” are personal favourites. One is rhythmic syncopation in extremis and the other is churning chromaticism at its twitchiest. I'm really not sure why JK bothered putting a Kerry King style lead at the end of “Werd Doch”. Soloing just isn't… them.

The songs on the split EP are longer and as such explore more tempo variation within. “Der Pitch” joins overlapped melancholic chords under bass/drum pulses with a punishing Nostromo-inspired groove, but it is “Tote den Roboter” that delivers the biggest shock. In simple terms it sounds like a cross-species between them and Septic Flesh (most notably Communion), or even mid-period Samael, coming across as it does like some titanic mini-soundtrack to a sci-fi movie trailer. Cyber-orchestrated polyphony rich in arpeggiation and effects that thrashes at the core, undulating turbulently on the way to apotheosis.

Japanische Kampfhorspiele appear to have that delectable quality that enables them to do whatever takes their fancy, do it very well and even satiate the appetites of the most serious metalheads. They are a great breath of fresh air.

November 23, 2009