KOMMANDANT - USA

Stormlegion - 2008 - Planet Metal
The Draconian Archetype - 2012 - Aeternitas Tenebrarum Musicae Fundamentum

Kommandant image
  
 
Members
S= Dysphoria, Incestous>>Nick Hernandez - MARCUS KOLAR

G= Contagion, Funereal, Cianide>>JAMES BRESNAHAN - Demented Ted, Forest Of Impaled, Krieg, Sarcophagus, Nachtmystium, Metallian>>MARCUS KOLAR>>Metallian, Nachtmystium

B= Nachtmystium, Usurper>>Jon Woodring>>Nachtmystium - Virgin Killers, Nachtmystium, Ezurate, Helms Deep, Othendara, Blood Of The Wolf>>PATRICK MCCORMICK>>Othendara, Blood Of The Wolf

D= Cumchrist, Evil Incarnate>>Garret Scanlan>>Cumchrist, Lividity, Embrace Damnation - Nachtmystium, Enforsaken, Evening Shroud, Unsolemn, Unholy Trinity, Empyreus, Demonic Christ>>DAVID SWANSON>>Evening Shroud, Unsolemn, Empyreus, Demonic Christ




History & Biography
Neither German nor industrial these Americans certainly masquerade as one with their monicker, imagery and art. The band specializes in whirlwind death/black since 2005. The Nazi-themed demo Iron Hands On Scandinavia was issued as an EP by Mistress Dance Records as well. Stormlegion featured 13 tracks and appeared in 2008. An EP also appeared in late 2010 on Planet Metal called Kontakt. David Swanson returned to the fold in 2010 and later switched to bass.

Nick Hernandez left in 2011. Kolar took over the vocals. In 2013, Kommandant re-released Iron Hands On Scandinavia and Stormlegion on vinyl through Higher Power Records in the US and Art Of Propaganda Records in Europe. As of 2014, Nick Morgan was on second guitar. A representative for the band contacted Metallian in 2014 to assert that the band is not a NAZI band. The band was preparing a third full-length.

Kommandant is essentially a Chicago supergroup.


Reviews

KOMMANDANT - KONTAKT - PLANET METAL  
First and most importantly, this band’s label has the best name. One hopes it is a real outfit. Next, what about the band’s music? The band is American but could have fooled me for all its Scandinavian true black metal trappings. This is the stuff of black metal dreams with its deadly vocals, blurred blinding speed, down picking and hushed drums. The drums are blasting in hell, but the quiet and inexpensive production renders it all quiet.
As good as the band is conceptually, the music is weighed down by the weak production and massive loads of genericism. Still, rather this than generic ambient gothic industrial sensitive melowhatever. The best song is Sulphur Chariot, which contains some heavier riffing, and forceful riffing. - Anna Tergel

KOMMANDANT - STORMLEGION - MVD  
This is a remastered version of the 13-song 2008 release of Chicago's - sometime quintet - quartet. The Shiltron intro sets up a war theme with drums of war lurking in the background. The title track jumps right into the brutal realm. Straightforwardly fast, crucially this is also heavy and at least in the early minutes this is more than some thin sounding guitar speeding along on a single riff. Hints of some industrial leanings make an appearance or two too. Black Harvest wastes little time continuing with the speedy black metal. The production gives enough weight to the songs and does not let the listener down. Barbarous Victorious is a carbon copy of the song before it and its chorus furthers the war theme. Siege Engine gives off a more thrashy feel with its more varied structure. No Compassion sometimes loses itself as the band seems to want to speed it up even more but lose control. Vacuum Heart is surely not a love song. Bypaths To Chaos is just as hard hitting as early Marduk. Embodiment Of Terror is a heavy black metal version of the earliest of Kreator or Tormentor. The thrashy element manifests itself again and the trend continues in Social Parasite. Ravenous Conquest has a segment that is reminiscent of Morbid Angel and more specifically the Blasphemy song. On second listen Kommandant's Stormlegion is not all that far from Altars Of Madness, minus Trey Azagthoth's technical know-how. Blood And Savagery brings in a bit more of the industrial feel and The Aftermath concludes the war! - Anna Tergel


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Kommandant