Trench warfare, Wolfenstein 3D plot lines, tank worship, and PTSD feature in this recapture of earliest works from Edinburgh, Scotland-based death metal quintet DEATH KOMMANDER. An expansion and re-recording of the band’s first demo ‘The Great Offensive‘ provides a sharpened version of their beginnings alongside a few choice reworks from their first album, a straightforward upgrade for their brand of Bolt Thrower worshipping death metal.

Inspired by bands like Hail of Bullets original/ex-guitarist George (Tymvos) would officially form Death Kommander circa 2018 alongside his cohorts in Demonic Obedience among others. That original lineup would persist through late 2024 with a demo and a debut LP, all of it at least partially documented in my review of the band’s second LP (‘Never to Grow Old‘, 2025). That review was fairly standoffish on the whole project in that it was largely unadorned Bolt Thrower worship with maybe a stretch into earlier Asphyx territory here and there. The bones of their work were honest in sound and spirit but I hadn’t been convinced theirs was an essential, or even above average, take on the formula.

Rewinding back to the pre-pandemic formation of the band and the aforementioned demo (‘Summer Offensive ’18‘, 2018) that’d resulted, Death Kommander were probably at their best within the simplicity of their earliest material. That self-recorded, satisfyingly raw salvo of four songs now receives a full re-recording with the band’s post-2024 lineup on ‘The Great Offensive‘, likely for the sake of bringing it up to the standard of their sophomore LP. In this polished and propped-up version you’ll find pretty minor changes to pace and performance, a cleaner and more tightly performed version of the original songwriter’s first instinct being their best (re: “Shellshock”, “Onwards”). To round out the release they’ve included two re-recorded selections (“Flamethrower” b/w “The March”) from their debut album (‘Pro Patria Mori‘, 2021) alongside a brief intro and outro tracks to bookend the record, extending the EP’s length to about ~25 minutes.

Since I’d parsed several thoughts on “worship” bands within the niche, specifically the subject of post-‘War Master‘ Bolt Thrower derived work, in review of band’s second LP I’ll reiterate that Death Kommander‘s treatment is a good time on all counts, an entertaining dilution of a classic band’s fire no matter which record you pick up. The sole addendum here is that their first demo release seems to hold up, an above-average set of songs when given this sort of nuclear bristled, HM-2 boosted guitar sound and greater precision treatment in the span of ‘The Great Offensive‘. There isn’t that much else that needs to be said here in terms of the material itself, though I’d make the point that they haven’t taken the ‘old school’ feeling from their sound, having spruced their work up without kill the grit of underground death metal.

The first time I’d put ‘The Great Offensive‘ on I’d skipped any context upon induction without realizing it was a re-recording. The gist of my notes amounted to “much improved/direct”, favoring it over their second LP. That probably speaks most directly to Death Kommander‘s efficacy in taking on a pretty direct form of worship more than anything else but either way they’ve done some serious justice to what is probably their best showing to date. A moderately high recommendation.

https://fda-records.com/de/death-kommander-uk-the-great-offensive-cd-14-08-26.html

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