In October 1914, near the Belgian city of Ypres, Allied and German forces begin the first of what would be a series of battles to control that ancient Flemish city and its strategically important location. Fighting continued, with stunning losses on both sides, until November 22, when the arrival of winter weather forced the battle to a halt. In that first battle alone, more than 250,000 combatants lost their lives, and the bloodbath would continue in the following spring and subsequent years.

The intensity of that conflict and the almost unimaginable scale and senselessness of the slaughter has inspired many metal bands in the past. As the song we’re presenting today proves, it has also inspired the Colombian band Guerra Total, whose name means “total war” in Spanish, and who themselves come from a country that has been home to one of the longest armed conflicts in the world. The band’s new album, their ninth release in a career that began in 1997, is a concept album about Death managing humanity, using war as its own benefit.

Entitled War Is The Pursuit Of Death: A Hymnal For The Misanthrope, it will be co-released on April 17th by Satanath Records (Russia) with Iron, Blood And Death Corporation (Mexico), and today we’re presenting the second track on the record, “Battle of Ypres“. Continue reading »