Blood of Kingu

Sun in the House of the Scorpion

Written by: EW on 14/05/2010 23:12:38

Through being a huge fan of the whole Drudkh catalogue signing up to review the second album of Blood of Kingu, an entity that could be best described as a side-project of the surely now legendary Ukrainians, seemed a no brainer. I bang on about a few BM bands with frequent intent in these parts, and for good reason that list is topped by Wolves in the Throne Room, Negură Bunget, Primordial and Drudkh; yet due to their publicity shy, no live show policy, Drudkh easily fall under the radar in the admittedly short spaces between albums, failing to get the recognition they deserve. That recognition extends to commendation for releasing some of the absolute best black metal of the last decade, thus setting expectations for "Sun in the House of the Scorpion" rather high.

The factors making Drudkh so special are apparent in the cocktail of sounds forming every track, predominantly in the form of the dissonant and caustic guitar tone, rendered a little more approachable here to accompany the faster average speed across tracks "Guardians of Gateways to Outer Void" and "Ceremonies to Awake Thy Ageless Hate". Unlike Drudkh however, whom are well-known for allowing their wonderfully crafted atmosphere do the talking, Blood of Kingu take a much more direct approach in sculpting paeans of black metal brutality to accompany the lyrical topics and inspirations of Sumerian and ancient Egyptian mythologies (among others), demonology and astronomy, with double bass hammering an omniscient force and Roman Sayenko's vocals a fierce hoarse growl. With the introduction opener "Herald of the Aeon of Darkness" a tendency for ethnic/tribal drumming is noticed, which continues in all too brief interludes at the end of "Those that Wander Amidst the Stars" and "Cyclopean Temples of the Old Ones"; sloppily tacked on at the end of both tracks - a greater effort to fully integrate these could've earned the band some extra points in this world of carefully crafted extreme metal replete with multitudes of ethnic instruments delicately interwoven.

However, despite the insertion of attentive riffs from time to time the lack of variation and subtleties in Blood of Kingu's work across "Sun in the House..." is leading to me offer the album an average level mark. Behind the drum pounding the ancient subtleties of Drudkh try to be heard but an overall lack of discernible hooks is causing my gripes, which by the time the album closes with a cover of the Beherit classic "The Gate of Nanna" has left me bored and disconnected from the album as a whole. "The Gate of Nanna" cover ultimately reveals just what I've been missing: a difference in dynamic and a great riff to latch onto, factors not quantifiable enough throughout to avoid my disappointment from such originally high expectations.

5

Download: Incantation Of He Who Sleeps
For the fans of: Drudkh, Hate Forest
Listen: Myspace

Release date 24.05.2010
Candlelight Records

Related Items | How we score?
Comments
comments powered by Disqus

Legal

© Copyright MMXXIV Rockfreaks.net.