Artist: Zweihander
Country: Chile
Label: Self-Released
Formats: Digital EP
Year: 2026
After a demo and two digital singles (both actually more or less the same song in a different version), all released in 2025, Zweihander quickly strikes again with a new EP. Or well, not really new maybe, as all of the previously recorded songs have been re-used for ‘Genocidal Siege Of Thorn Knights’. Technically speaking, this release only offers two new songs, but everything has been given a slight makeover.
As a whole ‘Genocidal Siege Of Thorn Knights’ is the full debut demo, a new intro and outro, two new songs and two bonus tracks. As a result, the total playing time has been extended to over twenty-five minutes. But although that may be the first thing you notice, it is mainly the improved sound quality that makes this EP such a knock-out release. These Chileans know what they’re doing. In true Canadian tradition, Blasphemy is honoured and robbed in one fell swoop. The grinding guitars and the ferocious rattling of the drums combine to brew the chaotic concoction that forms the basis for the primal roar of Janial Kanial, the spiritual father of this barbaric creature. The clever use of reverb on the vocals and the surprisingly “open” production give the whole thing a more than authentic character. That same production also ensures that all the individual instruments are clearly audible, proving that the band isn’t just making noise, but that there are indeed solid riffs and genuine musicianship hidden behind this apparent jumble of cacophony.
I am genuinely delighted with what these Chilean madmen are achieving here, a more than promising band of guys who know how this kind of music should be made and recorded. I eagerly await Zweihander’s next steps.
