Halloween is not something we here at Ghost Cult either take lightly or do halfway. We are really more of a Halloween 24/7, 365 type of crew. So keeping with the spirit, here is an exclusive video of Ivar from Enslaved and Frode of Krakow chatting about the creepiest things that have ever happened to them. Check it out below:Continue reading
Each year at Easter, when the western and Christian world celebrates the rebirth of Jesus over the dates of an ancient fertility festival, in Norway’s capital the mandatory days off are used by the metal community to celebrate a darker get together: Inferno Metalfest. The festival and the connected Inferno Metal Conference celebrates Norway’s role and focus on Metal Music from its own stables as well as new things and greats from abroad.Continue reading
The spring festival season kicks off in earnest this weekend in Oslo, Norway with the amazingly kvlt experience that is Inferno Metal Festival. The four-day festival of extreme music and culture takes over one of the birthplace cities of heavy music in the world. The fest is sold out once again, adding to the excitement. It’s great to see this scene surviving and thriving after many years. Continue reading
Enigmatic Swedish metal band Shining has been added to Inferno Festival 2018, as a replacement for Katatonia, who canceled their appearance after going on hiatus. Shining is still touring in support of their tenth album X , Varg utan flock (Dark Essence/Season Of Mist) from 2016. Inferno Metal Festival is the longest-running and most extreme metal festival in Norway and one of the most important extreme metal festivals in the entire world. The festival still has 8 more bands to add between now and March 29t,h. When the fest kicks off. Continue reading
When you’re handed an album for a Norwegian Metal band, it’s pretty safe for you to assume that you’ve been given a Death or Black Metal record with the fact that a new one pops up almost on a weekly basis. With Krakow’s amaran (Dark Essence) though (yeah they’re not from Poland…) what you’ve actually got is a dark and twisted Stoner/Metal album which revels in bleak down tuned slow riffs and heaviness. When some of the harsher vocals kick in you’ll quickly draw comparisons to their native Kvelertak, but Krakow are a different beast, mashing together several influences like Kvelertak do, but with less focus on the punkier aspects and more drive towards the Doomier side.
The album opens with ‘Luminauts’ which immediately sets the tone for what’s going on here. The mysterious and atmospheric opening to the track is an idea which they run with throughout the record. Each track builds and builds until it reaches a cacophony of sound at the end – and for the most part it works very well. The track ‘Pendulum’ becomes a perfect example of this. It actually sounds like the band were sitting there experimenting with different sounds before someone picked up a guitar and threw down into an awesome bouncy riff. They’ve made it sound effortless to produce, when in reality you know that it would have taken a lot of work.
Perhaps the only drawback here is the fact that you kind of know what you’re getting with each track. They’ve focussed on making each one such an epic it might not be the most accessible to casually pick up– old hardened Doom heads will absolutely love it though. There are some tracks on here as well, like ‘Ten Silent Circles’, where the band has actually looked to expand into quite a proggy sound. By this point you should be able to grasp that Krakow do not pull any punches when it comes to trying to deliver a truly varied soundscape – they’re clearly a talented bunch, with each track sounding very tight and well produced but this deviation isn’t one of the stronger points on the record.
Overall then, with amaran, Krakow have produced a solid Stoner/Doom Metal album which brings together a deluge of different influences whilst also stamping their own authority and sound on proceedings. It isn’t the kind of album you’ll casually pick up and be instantly hooked, but with patience and a good few repeat listens you’ll begin to appreciate the musicianship of the group and all of the little intricacies each track houses.
7.0/10
TOM DONNO