Kommandant - Kontakt
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One of my favorite modes of black metal is what I call “bringing the storm”. “Bringing the storm” involves a blastbeat-driven attack that evokes not a hypnotic blur but a destructive force. At their best, Marduk epitomize bringing the storm. It is how I prefer black metal – not textures meant for sitting down, but weaponry meant for action. I do not advocate the burning of churches – it seems counterproductive and wasteful of resources – but I do advocate music that sounds like it.
Kommandant bring the storm, which is surprising since they are from Chicago. American black metal tends not to bring the storm, but to be isolationist and artsy. Kommandant sound European, though, specifically like mid-career Marduk – a good thing. Panzer Division Marduk is perhaps black metal’s Reign in Blood, and Kommandant share its single-mindedness. If they were European and put their minds to it, they could play big stages.
But first they’d have to get their message together. That doesn’t necessarily come from lyrics; I’m referring to a band’s total package – music, lyrics, artwork, live presentation. Kommandant’s total package is confusing at best. In this interview, they say, with typical black metal bluster, “We are asserting our will, pushing our agenda, re-shaping the world around us”. But in that same interview, they say they don’t print their lyrics because they want to leave things open for interpretation.
This is problematic for two reasons. First, wills and agendas hardly reshape the world if they remain open for interpretation. Second, even if a will-asserting, agenda-pushing band wanted to leave things open for interpretation, printing lyrics leaves plenty of room to do so. Listeners can read between the lines – or even read the same lines differently. To make things more frustrating, in this interview, the band claims that lyrics are the least important and insightful part of its music. This will-asserting, agenda-pushing band does not value lyrics – how odd.
Its visual presentation is also problematic. It has an album called Stormlegion (which I liked musically), it has a shirt with an Iron Eagle-like emblem, and it has a shirt that says “Einsatz” on the back. By itself, the word “einsatz” has innocuous meanings. But when paired with an image of soldiers, it brings to mind the Einsatzgruppen, the Nazi death squads that killed over a million civilians. Slayer, Onslaught, and Marduk have flirted with fascist imagery, but none pushed the association like this. If a band wants people to wear the word “Einsatz” this way, it might not want to leave things open for interpretation.
So Kommandant want to push an agenda, but not tell listeners what it is, and to throw around highly combustible imagery. Fair enough – Laibach have used similar tactics. But Laibach are commenting on the imagery they appropriate, while Kommandant don’t embody such art museum-esque distancing. Their interviews (see also this one) and their merch suggest that they are completely earnest. But about what? For world reshaping to occur, that shouldn’t even be in question.
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HEAR KONTAKT
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BUY KONTAKT
Amazon (CD)
Amazon (MP3)
Planet Metal (CD)
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LIVE KONTAKT
Kommandant play Planet Metal’s showcase tomorrow (11/27) at Red Line Tap in Chicago. See flyer here.
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