1914 (band)
{{Short description|Ukrainian extreme metal band}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist
|name = 1914
|image = 1914 Dark Troll 2019 03.jpg
|caption = 1914 at Dark Troll Open Air 2019
|landscape=yes
|background = group_or_band
|alias =
|origin = Lviv, Ukraine
|genre = {{hlist|Blackened death metal|death-doom}}
|years_active = 2014–present
|label =
- Archaic Sound
- Napalm Records
|associated_acts =
| website =
|current_members =
- Dietmar Kumarberg
- Liam Fessen
- Vitalis Winkelhock
- Armin von Heinessen
- Rusty Potoplakht
|past_members =
- Serge Russell
- Andrew Naifman
- Basil Lagenndorf
}}
1914 is a Ukrainian blackened death metal band formed in Lviv in 2014. The band is themed primarily around World War I, and the group itself was named for the year it began. Musically, 1914 combines the sound of doom, death and black metal.
History
1914 was founded in summer 2014 in Lviv by Dmytro "Kumar" Ternuschak{{Cite web|title=Що сталося із львівськими рок-гуртами "нульових"|url=https://www.032.ua/news/2393937/so-stalosa-iz-lvivskimi-rok-gurtami-nulovih|website=032.ua - Сайт міста Львова|accessdate=23 May 2019|language=uk-UA|archive-date=23 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523170727/https://www.032.ua/news/2393937/so-stalosa-iz-lvivskimi-rok-gurtami-nulovih}} along with other musicians who already had musical experience and played in various Ukrainian musical groups, Skinhate, Ambivalence, ForceOut, Johny B Gut, Stalag 328, Disentrail, Ratbite, Toster).{{cite web |author= Oleks Antichrist|url= https://antichristmagazine.com/1914-interview/|title= 1914 interview|language= en|website= antichristmagazine.com|publisher= Antichrist Magazine|date= 29 April 2015|access-date=14 May 2022}}
In 2015, the band released their debut album Eschatology of War through Archaic Sound. Three years later, their second album, The Blind Leading the Blind, was released. The album received positive reviews from the music press{{cite web |author= Christian Popp|url= https://www.metal.de/reviews/1914-the-blind-leading-the-blind-364180/|title= 1914 — The Blind Leading The Blind — Review|language= de|website= metal.de|publisher= Metal.de|date= 3 January 2019|access-date=13 May 2022}}{{cite web |author= Dom Lawson|url= https://blabbermouth.net/reviews/the-blind-leading-the-blind|title= Reviews — 1914 — The Blind Leading The Blind|language= en|website= blabbermouth.net|publisher= Blabbermouth|date= 10 June 2019|access-date=13 May 2022}}{{cite web |author= RaduP|url= https://metalstorm.net/pub/review.php?review_id=14829|title= 1914 — The Blind Leading The Blind review|language= en|website= metalstorm.net|publisher= Metal Storm|date= 23 December 2018|access-date=13 May 2022}} and 1914 soon signed a contract with Napalm Records.{{cite web |url= https://www.metalforcesmagazine.com/site/news-1914-sign-album-contract-with-napalm-records/|title= 1914 Sign Album Contract With Napalm Records|language= en|website= metalforcesmagazine.com|publisher= Metal Forces|date= 6 February 2019|access-date=14 May 2022}}
The label released their third studio album, Where Fear and Weapons Meet, in 2021, which also received critical acclaim{{cite web |author= Max Heilman|url= https://metalinjection.net/reviews/1914-where-fear-and-weapons-meet|title= Album Review: 1914 Where Fear And Weapons Meet|language= en|website= metalinjection.net|publisher= Metal Injection|date= 21 October 2021|access-date=13 May 2022}} and was later included in several lists of the best albums of the year.{{cite web |author= Joseph Schafer|url= https://consequence.net/2021/12/top-metal-hard-rock-albums-2021/7/|title= Top 30 Metal and Hard Rock Albums of 2021|language= en|website= consequence.net|publisher= Consequence of Sound|date= 21 December 2021|access-date=13 May 2022}}{{cite web |url= https://metalstorm.net/awards/categories.php?cat_id=3&cb=627ac99fa3942|title= The Best Death Metal Album – Metal Storm Awards 2021|language= en|website= metalstorm.net|publisher= Metal Storm|access-date=13 May 2022}}{{cite web |author= Max Heilman|url= https://metalinjection.net/lists/best-of-2021/max-heilmans-top-10-albums-of-2021|title= Max Heilman's Top 10 Albums Of 2021|language= en|website= metalinjection.net|publisher= Metal Injection|date= 2 December 2021|access-date=13 May 2022}}{{cite web |author= Phil Boozeman|url= https://www.metalsucks.net/2021/12/03/phil-boozemans-top-10-metal-albums-of-2021/|title= Phil Boozeman's Top 10 Metal Albums of 2021|language= en|website= metalsucks.net|publisher= MetalSucks|date= 2 December 2021|access-date=13 May 2022}}
Musical style
1914 plays a mixture of death and doom metal. Black metal influences can also be heard occasionally. The deep-tuned, booming guitars and the deep bass are striking. In addition, the band also builds many melodic, often depressing guitar parts into the songs. The typical blast beats from death metal are rather rare, instead the band plays songs in medium or sluggish tempo. Many songs are accompanied by samples, such as speeches from the First World War, sounds of battle, or engine noise. The intros ("War In") and outros ("War Out") on the albums are typical, each representing songs from that time in authentic sound quality.{{Cite web |url=https://www.echoesanddust.com/2018/01/1914-metal-and-the-horror-of-war-from-ukraine/ |title=Архівована копія |date=5 January 2018 |accessdate=5 June 2018 |archive-date=16 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180316223631/http://echoesanddust.com/2018/01/1914-metal-and-the-horror-of-war-from-ukraine/ }}
Members
= Current =
- 2nd Division, 147th Infantry Regiment, Senior Lieutenant Dietmar Kumarberg (Dmytro Ternushchak) – vocals (2014–present)
- 37th Division, Field Artillery Regiment No. 73, watchman Liam Fessen (Oleksa Fisyuk) – guitar (2014–present)
- 5th Division, Ulanensky Regiment No. 3, Sergeant Vitalis Winkelhock (Vitaliy Vyhovskyi) – guitar (2015–present)
- 9th Division, Grenadier Regiment No. 7, non-commissioned officer Armin von Heinessen (Armen Oganesyan) – bass guitar (2014–present)
- 33rd Division, 7th Thuringian Infantry Regiment. No. 96, Private Rusty Potoplakht (Rostyslav Potoplyak) – drums (2016–present)
= Former =
- First lieutenant Serge Russell (company C, 306th machine gun battalion) (Serhiy) – drums (2014–2016)
- Sergeant Andrew Naifman (157th Field Artillery Regiment, 40th Infantry Division) (Andriy Rieznikov) – guitar (2014–2015)
- 5th Division, Ulanen Regiment No. 3, Sergeant Basil Lagenndorf (Vasyl Lahodiuk) – guitar (2015)
Discography
;Studio albums
- Eschatology of War (2015)
- The Blind Leading the Blind (2018)
- Where Fear and Weapons Meet (2021)
;Other albums
- Ich hatt einen Kameraden (2016, split with Minenwerfer)
- Eschatology of War / Für Kaiser, Volk und Vaterland (2016, compilation)
- Für Kaiser, Volk und Vaterland! (2016, EP)
;Singles
- "Caught in the Crossfire" (2014)
- "Frozen in Trenches (Christmas Truce)" (2014)
- "Zeppelin Raids" (2015)
- "Stoßtrupp 1917" (2017)
- "…and a Cross Now Marks His Place" (2021)
- "Pillars of Fire (The Battle of Messines)" (2021)
- "FN .380 ACP#19074" (2021)
- "Flammenwerfer vor!" (2022)
- "Invaders Must Die" (2025)