Whether war is the father of all things, as the Greek philosopher Heraclitus believed, I do not know. But I know that war is the father of many Death Metal albums, songs and imagery. This is also the case with UK based DEATH KOMMANDER, who set out with their album “Pro Patria Mori” in 2021 to fill the void left by BOLT THROWER’s departure in 2016. DEATH KOMMANDER continued their crusade with the follow-up “Never To Grow Old” with songs not defined by frantic speed or displays of technical prowess, but by a colossal sense of weight, momentum and atmosphere. Their songs unfold through vast, down tuned guitar riffs that move with measured purpose, each note seeming to carry the mass of steel and stone. Rather than erupting in chaotic violence, the music advances with an inexorable certainty, like the distant rumble of armoured columns emerging through the mist of a war-torn horizon. There is something profoundly martial in their sound: a vision of armies marching beneath darkened skies, of banners lost in smoke and of history grinding forward on iron tracks. Although entitled the “The Great Offensive”, the present mini-album is in my eyes more some kind of retreating battle. It features the completely re-recorded demo “Sommer Offensive” from 2018 plus two bonus tracks. Does it make sense to re-record a demo that is not even ten years old? Not to me, the original is still available on the band’s Bandcamp page and yeah, it has a lousy drum sound and comes across a bit weak through the speakers. But that is totally fine, because that is the definition of what demos are for. Accordingly the re-recording of the two tracks ’Flamethrower’ and ‘The March’ from the debut seems totally random. Maybe to stretch out the playing time a little? At the end of the day, one is left with the feeling that the release serves the economy of attention more than any musical or artistic need. So, as always, everyone has to decide for themselves how to spend their money, even though there is no doubt that we are dealing with top-notch Death Metal here. Enter the realm of DEATH KOMMANDER by visiting www.facebook.com/deathkommander or www.facebook.com/fdarec