Kanonenfieber releases ‘Z-Vor!’, the 1st single taken from compilation ‘Soldatenschiksale’

“Nur der Tod gewinnt im Krieg”
[“Only death succeeds in war”]
—KANONENFIEBER

Just in time for their special show at Summer Breeze Open Air, KANONENFIEBER released the song ‘Z-Vor!’ along with an elaborate lyric video: https://youtu.be/M355O3YomHM

The band says:

“31 May 1916

Something is brewing in the waters off Jutland.

A seemingly endless column of Royal Navy battleships leaves Scapa Flow and Rosyth and sets course for the southern North Sea.

The German High Seas Fleet, led by Admiral Reinhard Scheer, leaves Wilhelmshaven and heads north to intercept British advances.

A cloud in the shape of a fist hangs over the North Sea that is glistening in the midday sun.

3:00 p.m. – The British light cruiser HMS Galatea spots a column of smoke on the horizon. Two British destroyers are sent out to investigate. All clear – the plume of smoke comes from the neutral Norwegian steamer N.J. Fjord.

3:20 p.m. – The MS Galatea notices German light cruisers of the II Reconnaissance Group under Rear Admiral Friedrich Boedicker behind the steamer. Both sides approach each other.

3:28 p.m. – The German light cruiser SMS Elbing opens fire on the HMS Galatea. A few seconds later, the British ships return fire.

The largest naval battle of the First World War has begun. In no time both sides are ready for battle, with messages being transmitted to the flagships via radio and flags.

Amidst the roar of battle, one command cannot be ignored.
Z-VOR!”

“Z-Vor!” is the first single from the compilation “Soldatenschicksale” (= Soldiers’ Fates), which will be released on 30 January 2026 by Century Media Records with the following track listing:

1. Z-Vor!                                                  
2. Heizer Tenner                                     
3. Ubootsperre (2025)                              
4. Kampf und Sturm (2025)                      
5. Die Havarie (2025)                              
6. Der Füsilier I (2025)                            
7. Der Füsilier II (2025)                            
8. The Yankee Division March (2025)        
9. Die Fastnacht der Hölle (2025)             

KANONENFIEBER about “Soldatenschicksale”:

”At school, we are taught that war is something bad. From the Defenestration of Prague to the assassination of the Archduke in Sarajevo – war always means violence. We hear of political tensions, daring military campaigns, and grueling battles of attrition. All of it supported by numbers so massive and abstract, they seem almost unreal: 17 million dead in the First World War alone.

When the gunpowder smoke clears from the battlefield, only the dead remain – who are no longer really considered people. But who was the man lying shot in a shell crater? Who was the barely 17-year-old boy who suffocated in a dugout after a mine hit, screaming for his mother? Who was the sergeant, the cadet, the sapper – the ordinary soldier who, in a matter of seconds, lost both his life and his identity? A single fate, so small in the shadow of the ‘greater whole’ that it barely seems worth remembering.

This is exactly where ‘Soldatenschicksale’ begins.

From the American landings on the Western Front to the merciless winter war in the East, to the battles above and below the surface of the North Sea – it’s about people. About voices. About stories that are in danger of being forgotten.

‘Soldatenschicksale’ brings together revised versions of ‘Yankee Division’ (2022), ‘Der Füsilier’ (2023), and ‘U-Bootsmann’ (2023), as well as two brand new tracks that work as ‘Skagerrak’.

Skagerrak. The largest naval battle of the First World War.”

In March KANONENFIEBER will embark on the Soldatenschicksale 2026 tour with support from Mental Cruelty. On 27 March, the Kanonenfest will take place at the Brose Arena Bamberg, featuring a First World War travelling museum and an exhibition by Daniel Bechthold (@bechthold.illustrator).

KANONENFIEBER is the brainchild of Noise, who writes and records all of their music. For live shows he is accompanied by friends who allow him to focus on taking care of the vocals and the bombastic stage performance.

Noise started KANONENFIEBER in 2020 after reading through his deceased great-grandfather’s diary that he wrote at the frontlines during the Second World War. Apart from memories, it was the only thing left of him. A hobby historian and friend of Noise transferred the diary from the original Sütterlin which was gifted as a book to Noise’s grandmother – his great-grandfather’s daughter. When Noise read through the bone chilling first-hand accounts, it became clear that he wanted to dedicate his art to commemorating the countless victims of war in general. The concept that was drafted together with his friend hinges on authenticity, with lyrics and linguistics based on reports, letters and other historical documents.

The band members including Noise and his live band are deliberately kept anonymous which works as a reference to the “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier”: monuments in various countries worldwide that commemorate soldiers killed in wars. The horrors of war are universal.