The War Metal Thread
Antichrist - "Sacrament of Blood" (2011)
This obscure one-off Canadian war metal record was originally recorded back in 1994 but didn't see the light of day until a full seventeen years later for one reason of another. I checked it out around the time of release & it didn't do much for me but it would appear that it's much more up my alley these days. You can expect pure Blasphemy worship with a more than suitable production job & atmosphere. In fact, I'm gonna suggest that I actually prefer this record to Blasphemy's "Fallen Angel Of Doom…." & find it hard to split with "Gods of War" so fans of the war metal godfathers (i.e. Sonny) will no doubt find Antichrist to be very enjoyable too. Just don't expect anything terribly original.
For fans of Blasphamagoatachrist, Proclamation & Blasphemy.
3.5/5
Antichrist Siege Machine - "Purifying Blade" (2021)
I was in dire need of some punishing war metal treatment yesterday so I turned to a very reliable source in American duo Antichrist Siege Machine & their 2021 sophomore record "Purifying Blade", a record which I consider to be the best of their three full-lengths to date. As usual, there's an impressive consistency to this material with just enough variety to keep the suitably short 29-minute run time interesting throughout. The wonderfully blasphemic vocals & frantic blast-beat drumming are par for the course with war metal but there are also some great grindcore riffs included here with Napalm Death & early Carcass being clear influences. I know a lot of people find this subgenre to be one dimensional but, frankly, I'm comfortable in that dimension so why would I look outside of it?
For fans of Primitive Warfare, Caveman Cult & Profane Order.
4/5
Here's my updated Top Ten War Metal Releases of All Time list:
01. Infernal Coil - "Within a World Forgotten" (2018)
02. Bestial Warlust - "Vengeance War 'Till Death" (1994)
03. Teitanblood - "The Baneful Choir" (2019)
04. Teitanblood - "Death" (2014)
05. Antichrist Siege Machine - "Purifying Blade" (2021)
06. Teitanblood - "From the Visceral Abyss" (2025)
07. Antichrist Siege Machine - "Vengeance of Eternal Fire" (2024)
08. Abominator - "Barbarian War Worship" demo (1995)
09. Impaled Nazarene - "Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz..." (1993)
10. Damaar - "Triumph Through Spears of Sacrilege" (2007)
https://metal.academy/lists/single/216
Purifying Blade was actually one of the first War Metal albums I had to...experience at the time and I definitely didn't "get it" at the time. I think I rated it a bit low and tabled it for a while, kind of confused on why everyone seemed to be making a fuss about this one. It wasn't until Antichrist Siege Machine's followup to this, Vengeance of Eternal Fire, that got me a bit more hooked since that one is much more in my wheelhouse. I wanna say at some point I revisited this one and definitely came around to it more, Siege Machine just has something to them that appeals to me more than the other big War Metal acts like on your list. Like you said, great band that does what they do very well and doesn't mess around trying to do anything else.
Archgoat - "The Luciferian Crown" (2018)
I thought the fourth full-length from this Finnish war metal four-piece was their best work to the time when I first heard it shortly after release &, off the back of this week's latest revisit, I'd suggest that those feelings still hold up. Archgoat have always had a great sound & "The Luciferian Crown" is another well produced record that doesn't try too much but does what it does very well. It kinda sounds like Blasphemy meets Celtic Frost meets early Carcass which can't be a bad thing, can it? There's a big death metal component included here with the inclusion of ultra-deep vocals, doomier tempos & guitar solos all blending very well with the frantic war metal of the band's roots. This is a really solid release for the subgenre in my opinion, particularly the first couple of tracks which are brilliant. The only qualm I have is that the quality dips a bit through the middle of the tracklisting with "Messiah of Pigs & "Darkness Has Returned" being a touch weaker than the rest of the material.
For fans of Blasphemy, Beherit & Black Witchery.
4/5
Here's my updated Top Ten War Metal Releases of All Time list:
01. Infernal Coil - "Within a World Forgotten" (2018)
02. Bestial Warlust - "Vengeance War 'Till Death" (1994)
03. Teitanblood - "The Baneful Choir" (2019)
04. Teitanblood - "Death" (2014)
05. Antichrist Siege Machine - "Purifying Blade" (2021)
06. Teitanblood - "From the Visceral Abyss" (2025)
07. Antichrist Siege Machine - "Vengeance of Eternal Fire" (2024)
08. Archgoat - "The Luciferian Crown" (2018)
09. Abominator - "Barbarian War Worship" demo (1995)
10. Impaled Nazarene - "Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz..." (1993)
https://metal.academy/lists/single/216
Archgoat - "Angelcunt (Tales of Desecration)" E.P. (1993)
I wasn't a huge fan of 1991's "Jesus Spwan" demo but Finnish war metal legends Archgoat really nailed their death metal-driven sound on this debut proper release. The lovingly titled "Angelcunt" E.P. offer thirteen minutes of ugly, noisy, highly blasphemous music for those with the darkest & most violent taste in extreme metal. I don't think it's my absolute favourite Archgoat release these days (that honour sits with 2018's "The Luciferian Crown" album) but it's certainly in the conversation.
For fans of Blasphemy, Beherit & Black Witchery.
4/5
Archgoat are consistent producers of high quality war metal and are good enough that they don't need to blur their sound with a production that disguises their technical shortcomings. Defintely one of my favourite war metal acts alongside Bestial Warlust and Teitanblood.