Origin: Germany
Location: Bamberg, Bavaria
Formed: 2020
Genre: Melodic Black / Death Metal
Status: Active
Label: Century Media Records
Themes: World War I
Kanonenfieber was founded in 2020 by the anonymous musician Noise, who built the project around a stark, historically grounded concept: the human cost of World War I. Drawing exclusively from authentic letters, diaries, and military documents, Kanonenfieber’s music rejects glorification and instead exposes the brutality, trauma, and dehumanization of the Great War. The band’s name—German for “cannon fever”, a term synonymous with shell shock—captures this focus on psychological devastation. Their skeletal mascot, Fritz, has become a visual symbol of the project’s anti‑war message.
The debut album MenschenmĂĽhle (2021) quickly gained international attention for its blend of melodic black/death metal, historical accuracy, and emotional intensity. Subsequent EPs and singles—Yankee Division, Der FĂĽsilier, U‑Bootsmann, and others—expanded the project’s thematic scope, each release focusing on specific regiments, battles, or wartime experiences. Kanonenfieber’s live presence grew rapidly, leading to major festival appearances and multiple live recordings, including Live at Dark Easter Metal Meeting (2023) and Live in Oberhausen (2025).
In 2024, the band released their second full‑length, Die Urkatastrophe, a title referencing the “primordial catastrophe” of the 20th century. The album deepened their historical narrative while maintaining the project’s signature blend of melody, aggression, and documentary‑based storytelling. Kanonenfieber also contributed the track “Stop the War” to the Grind4Ukraine Volume 2 charity compilation in 2023, aligning their anti‑war ethos with contemporary humanitarian efforts.
Kanonenfieber stands as one of the most striking modern German extreme‑metal acts—melodic, historically grounded, fiercely anti‑war, and committed to preserving the voices of those who lived and died in the trenches.