Though they’ve insisted that their sophomore full-length album strays from its still obviate tradition unto their own Edinburgh, Scotland-borne death metal quartet DEATH KOMMANDER sound nigh exactly the same on this second go of it. ‘Never to Grow Old‘ does not falter in its simplified recreation of forms as their gig once again manifests as death metal specifically suited for fans of later-era Bolt Thrower, aimed at that exacting vein. Though the value of “worship”, cloneage, and how often those are terms adjacent to outright strip-mined levels plagiarism in less capable hands… isn’t the subject of this review I would suggest that the artistic license exercised here is next to nil. I don’t know if “no harm, no foul” is necessarily an endorsement of this album but I do enjoy hanging with albums in this style even if one could easily argue ’em down to generica outright.

Death Kommander formed officially back in 2018 but had been building in the back of original lead guitarist and songwriter George since the early 2010’s, eventually bringing in rhythm guitarist Ben and others who’d worked on another project (Demonic Obedience) in the past. Their first DIY demo (‘Summer Offensive ’18‘, 2018) was actually pretty solid for what it was, especially as a homebrewed experience. The song “Operation Eisenfaust” from that demo probably best showcases the band’s early knack for the inherent groove of later Bolt Thrower sans any insight into that band’s dual rhythm/dual lead shuffling guitar interplay. This simplification of forms down to militaristic zeitgeist has been elaborated upon and made chasmic in bands like Slugathor, taken in a more melodic direction (Just Before Dawn, earlier Deserted Fear, etc.) and variously blended with the trompe of earlier Asphyx (see: Decaying) to notable results here and there but in the hands of Death Kommander the most straight forward machinery of Bolt Thrower was achieved per their debut LP (‘Pro Patria Mori‘, 2021) and for my own taste it’d blended into the background, a just alright death metal record.

Didn’t Bolt Thrower stop recording for the sake of avoiding diminishing returns? — I’ll throw a disease-riddled blanket of scorn out here in hopes of getting a few stray kills in suggesting that most persisting Bolt Thrower “worship” amounts to surface deep generalization of later-era (1998-2005) forms: Slow, muddled and primitive stuff that makes the driest grooves of ‘Honour Valour Pride‘ sound monstrous by comparison. Generalizing Bolt Thrower has never done their legacy justice, probably one of the reasons they’d cut it off back in ’05 at peak, and in that sense a band like Death Kommander is still specifically for folks who want more of that sound even if it overlooks so much of the skilled, complex “heavy metal” interplay of the original beast by a wide margin. There is yet no successful or meaningful recreation of their legacy (from insiders or fans) which applies careful study of their discography in earnest nor achieves a similar level of wily, dramatic songcraft. The void simply doesn’t exist beyond consumer “products”, as the old graves have yet to crumble in the wake of any likeness.

What has changed on album number two? To start, the bass guitar and lead guitar positions changed circa ~2024 and this naturally impacts the result with an original member, George, exiting the band. To suit this new material and find a path forward Death Kommander begin stretching out into some modest performative tracts herein, gaining a few points of interest from new lead guitarist Oli on their path. Those leads never fully fire off in a pronounced way but they are the strongest feature found on “Through the Chest”, a ‘Mercenary‘-esque piece which trots along at a mid-pace in simple enough statement otherwise. The most promising bits of ‘Never to Grow Old‘ happen nearby with “Bazentin Wood” and the questionable 90’s mosh groove of “Yellow Cross”, each of which suggest a sort of ‘The Karelian Isthmus‘ mode seeping into their sound. While the album carries some extra coloration beyond the expected stone-faced plod up front its energy is cold, sapped and altogether unbothered.

The lasting impression of ‘Never to Grow Old‘ per Side A is dry, a familiar sound which burns with the presence of a dimly lit campfire rather than a hellish World War I trench-set inferno. The effect is similar to ‘Pro Patria Mori‘ in its approximation of mid-90’s death metal production values though Death Kommander‘ve applied a shade more overdriven scuzz on the main rhythm guitar tone which cuts some of the rehearsal level starkness found on their debut. It feels like an improvement, gels a bit better with the flatness of their snare hits, and the overall whirr of the machine hits a decent standard for this style. Side B makes an effort to change things up and does a fine enough job of it but not before restating the band’s directive.

“Aftermath” is probably the point where what Death Kommander are doing is too literal, note-for-note in this case and while it is a decent song I’d felt ‘Never to Grow Old‘ becomes too blatant for my own standards right there. There is no notably personal or creative spin or mark made within this work, it just cops Bolt Thrower. Again, I can hang with this type of record all day but I won’t suggest there is a novel spin or artistic hand applied here. Granted there are more redeeming ideas found down the road on “Memories” as well as the gloomier slow-roll out of closer “Where is the Front” which, when paired with the title track, offers some of the best from these folks to date. Per my own experience Side B does a bit more good than damage but doesn’t escape a general lack of ideas feeding this release.

While the bulk of this review might appear “negative” in tone I’d suggest that the standard for Bolt Thrower “worship” is set extremely high by… Bolt Thrower, of course but also the legions of musicians who’ve benefitted or kickstarted their own entity by copping the evolution of that style directly. What comes beyond that initial phase of imitation is variously more interesting (as in, far removed) or quickly phases out for a lack of any core idea. In this case we do ultimately get more of the same with some slight refinement, again, a no harm/no foul situation. A zero sum result wouldn’t necessarily amount to an endorsement if I wasn’t such a big fan of Bolt Thrower, and of course you can take my saltiness with an additional grain of salt. Death Kommander are yet a vessel, a hollow offering in tribute rather than a maestro in their suggested domain and for better or worse depending on your own specific fandom and fealty. A moderate recommendation.

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