Stuka Squadron play avant-garde, ambient neo-folk with a progressive jazz twist linking them to the Romanian scene…
No. No. Let’s start again.
With a name like Stuka Squadron you should already have guessed that the band purvey a tightly honed blend of traditional metal. This London-based outfit are heart and soul a fist-pumping, blood-burning heavy metal machine suckled at the teat of Lemmy and raised in the fire of Iron Maiden, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. In short they embody the power, confidence and precision of traditional heavy metal and those not strong enough to withstand the blast would be well advised to stand clear or, in the words of Moriarty, ‘be trampled underfoot’.
By way of introduction the band themselves say it best: “We care as much for human whims and politics as much as any predator cares for its prey’s faiths and beliefs. We dine on the fears of the mortal man, his horror so thick we drink it like the blood we’ve taken from his body. But even vampires can fall. Where once we numbered many, now we are but five. So we continue to this day, embracing an age in which the world has witnessed carnage and conflict for unbroken decades. We are Stuka Squadron.”
So, with a suitably war-like name, a premise that curdles the blood and album titles that embrace the living spirit of metal (the band’s debut was “tales of the ost”, whilst this second effort is “new sound of war”), Stuka Squadron are poised to lead the charge for British heavy metal and we, as loyal minions, are ready to join the crusade.
As one might expect from an album entitled ‘new sound of war’ there is no intro, no atmospheric overture to ease you in to the violence. Stuka Squadron are old-fashioned when it comes to their taste in slaughter and opening blast ‘Jericho’ commences with the rolling roar of drums, like cannon fire at the outset of battle, before Duke Fang Begley’s powerful vocals come slicing through the mix exhorting his troops to battle in the manner of Henry V on the eve of Agincourt, his intonation rendering the well-written lyrics crystal clear over the rampaging backing track. ‘First legion’ opens with a contemplative melody that soon is overtaken by the flaming guitars of Gravedigger Cox and Doktor Suicide whose mind-melting solos will bring a smile to the face of even the most hardened and cynical of air-guitarists. The band also make great use of backing vocalists to lend weight to the choruses and the overall sound is designed to make listeners rejoice in the power and joy of true heavy metal blood and thunder. ‘Feeder of crows’ slows the pace for a dark-hearted tale of sons lost to bloody war which recalls Iron Maiden in full-on story-telling mode. Similarly ‘Tell me strange things’ is a track that tells the tale of a vampire hunter over an inspiring back drop that is both melodic and powerful without being overly serious. Duke Fang in particular revels in Bruce Dickinson-esque theatrics and the sinister laughter of someone who has seen more than a few ‘strange things’ over the course of their mystical existence with the result that it is quite impossible not to warm to the track. ‘Immortals’ is a segue that expands upon a single, elegant solo and then ‘the path’ hoves into view, all sludgy, horror-inspired riffs and Duke Fang’s strongest performance yet giving way to a raucous finale that gives Baron Von Hammerstein plenty to do on the drums.
Offering a magical twist to the tale of Rommel, ‘Desert Fox’ captures the heat of sandy battles with its sound effects and throbbing bass lines (courtesy of Bomber Beam) whilst ‘the messenger’ is a full-throttle blast through the Pharaoh’s lands evoking images of blood seeping into the gilded sand of Egypt and recalling Maiden’s mighty ‘powerslave’ album. ‘Afterwrath’ is a spoken word track that leads straight into the mighty final track ‘bloodstorm’ which concludes the album on a horrific note, telling of a vampire’s deadly lust for the red nectar, the fanged-creature slaking his thirst to the sound of screams. It is the perfect subject matter for a heavy metal band and Stuka Squadron have both the lyrics and the musical prowess to go far.
Stuka Squadron have no interest in fads, no desire to be the latest or next thing – this makes them awesome! Theirs is a deep seated love for the power, the aesthetic and the passion of traditional heavy metal, a genre that refuses to die (despite the best efforts of a sneering mainstream press) thanks to the unyielding devotion of its followers. Stuka Squadron represent that devotion and ‘new sound of war’ is a love letter to the myriad wonders of heavy metal produced and played by musicians who have spent a good deal of time honing their considerable skills. ‘New sound of war’ is a hugely enjoyable, head-banging thrill ride that will delight true metal fans from start to finish.
