Ever since their inception, UK metal band Kurokuma have set about creating uncompromising riffs. Their self financed debut ‘Advorsus’ introduced the band with a world of sludge and hardcore infused sounds that made the likes of Conan seem a bit soppy, and their 2022 full length release ‘Born of Obsidian’, with the aid of a larger recording budget, found Joe E. Allen and the lads mixing doom and sludge with elements of world music, extreme stoner and more besides. Granted, the results would still seem rather hard on the ears to the metal-averse, but it certainly presented a more confident band.
Two years down the line, ‘Of Amber and Sand’ is even more interesting. Yes, Kurokuma are still heavy; yes, their riffs retain a huge amount of sludge, but how Kurokuma use their heaviness is smarter than before. This album shares a twisted musical palate which lurches in a number of different directions. This is particularly notable on ‘Death No More’, a tune that takes the guts of groove metal and stretches them over a sludge metal base, often showcasing a superb tone for Jake Mazlum’s guitar. Between the heavy chug, he bends the tones in such a way that an off-kilter higher tone threatens to break through the swamp of noise and yet never does, and the solid mid tempo sledgehammer riffs are also offset by bursts of hardcore which accentuate the trio’s even more aggressive side. There are at least three insanely heavy ideas thrown at the listener here, but they work seamlessly thanks to a strong, guttural roar supplied by Jake throughout, whilst drummer Joe locks down a weighty rhythm. You’ll find a couple of smarter pieces lurking on ‘Obsidian’, but in terms of (re)introducing everyone to a massive juggernaut of noise, Kurokuma style, this is one of the trio’s finest numbers.
Taking the Kurokuma sound somewhere completely new, bassist Zakk Wells supplies a funk driven riff at the core of ‘Neheh’. His bottom end has a distorted sound but also a warmth, and this contrast works brilliantly once Jake starts to throw out ringing guitar chords which supply an almost Arabic sound to what’s essentially a stoner metal arrangement. Eventually heavying things up about a thousand percent, the trio lay down a strong hardcore groove across several bars, and then, at the point where you think it’ll literally explode, everything drops into a more ambient sound. Those who enjoyed the previous album’s fusion of sludge metal and fusion will love this, but will get an even bigger kick out of ‘I Am Forever’, where Allen’s drums lead the charge through a world of hardcore/sludge fusion – absolutely classic Kurokuma, from the outset – and Jake’s lead guitar adds various edgy howls. In keeping with older Kurokuma sounds, the brutal vocals really add to the intensity, with Jake’s melodic death growl offset by classic hardcore anger. The heavy elements are superb, but this number’s most interesting features are spawned via more melodic ideas, and very specifically a busy solo where traditional lead guitar is replaced by some deftly played Arabic instrumentation. The contrast between this and the sludge is wonderful, and especially so once the riff returns for a closing jam where the trad sludge becomes decidedly more…sludgy.
Almost as different as ‘Neheh’, ‘Fenjaan’ re-applies the fuzz bass to drive a melody where stoner metal and world music meet. The rather pointed and Arabic sounding guitar leads might remind some listeners of Serj Tankian’s oft-overlooked SerArt project, but in 2024, these sounds belong more squarely within the Kurokuma camp. The band’s more abrasive side takes over fairly quickly, and although the mix of sludge and hardcore isn’t necessarily as interesting as some of the sounds that have gone before, in terms of ensuring that a lot of the older Kurokuma fans remain on board, these heavier moments are vital. In yet another change of mood, ‘Crux Anasta’ shares a huge ringing guitar riff over a mechanical rhythm before exploding into a doom groove worthy of early System of A Down. From there, the band venture into even darker places with Jake absolutely caning his throat in order for the demonic vocal to stand against the ominous riff. Slow, and oppressively heavy, this is another concession to the band’s older sounds, but even when taking a more predictable musical path, Kurokuma sound like a genuine force.
These pieces are linked by short instrumental interludes which allow listeners time to regroup and reflect, but in terms of heaviness, the album really comes into its own with the final track, ‘Chronoclasm’, where Kurokuma unleash some of their weightier sounds across an epic ten minutes. In some ways, the track brings together many of this album’s strongest ideas together under one giant musical umbrella. As layered guitars howl against a funereal rhythm, Jake summons a brilliant mix of clean guitar work and harder riffs drowned in effects; Zakk’s bass grumbles with a sludgy intent and the way the guitars begin to pierce through the sludge takes stoner grooves into really intense territory. By the time Joe adds a few double bass drums, there’s a feeling of something growing, but it’s just a ruse. As soon as the heavier sounds begin to rise, they fall away to reveal an abrasive combination of voice and guitar. The resulting noise feels like a blend of doom and weird post-metal; slow, but not sludgy. What transpires over the final five minutes is a soundscape where doom grooves collide with post-shoegaze guitar tones; bending doom grooves flail against an abrasive black metal roar, and chugging bass adds to an already rather confrontational arrangement. Knowing that final tracks can be the ones that leave the most indelible impression, these three musicians abandon their more melodic instincts here for an intensive, riff heavy blast that extant fans will love.
Kurokuma were always as heavy as hell, but now they have far more of a groove. Their work here feels a little more commercial, but without having any commercial potential beyond the extreme metal/sludge set, but above all, this is a record that really showcases this trio as superb musicians. With an increase in world music elements and the presence of various interludes,‘Of Amber and Sand’ is a harder album to pigeonhole, but it’s certainly one that shows Kurokuma’s uncompromising sound coming of age.
August 2024