The fifth studio album from Finnish drone trio Dark Buddha Rising is intense, psychedelic and laden with doom. You won’t listen to this record as much as you will experience it; it’s a challenging voyage to set sail on, but is richly rewarding for those willing to commit from start to finish.
Each track is named with a mere letter which, when put together, roughly spells out the album title Dakhmandal(DKHMNL). K is punishingly heavy, borrowing ride cymbal abuse from the mighty Bongripper and combining ritualistic, haunting vocals that create an enormous sense of unease and dread. An iron will is needed to make it to the end of this record, as it will hammer away at your resolve and make you question your very existence.
There is nothing remotely beautiful or relaxing about the sounds emitted from these guys; this is pure musical heroin that will show you the end of the world, whilst cradling your head in its lap. From start to finish DBR succeed in taking the listener on a bad acid trip; this is evil in audio format.
8/10
Angela Davey