Kurokuma - Born of Obsidian

 

 

Kurokuma - Born of Obsidian
Self-released - February 2022
Sludge, progressive, doom, psych
Rated: *****

Since their 2014 debut, Sheffield's Kurokuma have been steadily building towards their first full length, and the wait was well worth it. "Born of Obsidian" is a fervently creative slab of sludge, drawing from Mesoamerican myth, diverse percussion, and a penchant for absolutely leveling listeners' ears. Enveloping the ten ton riffs being thrown around, a major highlight is the atmosphere. "Born of Obsidian" feels primal and unknowable, like it was dredged up from some long forgotten pit. Bloodcurdling screams echo the sentiment as they burst forth from the initial lumber of opener "Smoking Mirror", just as powerful as the accompanying grinding wall of guitar and hefty low-end. "Sacrifice to Huitzilopochtli" follows up with more of the same filthy tone, and adds in darkly angular riffs and dissonance to complete the descent into madness. The guttural vocals are relentless, and the mass of sound threatens to overwhelm as Kurokuma break into a mad dash to the finish with an avalanche of thrashy riffage. The best is yet to come, however, and highlight track and midpoint "Jaguar" simply blows away the already high bar set so far. A minimal, almost techno, percussive beat opens the eight and a half minute epic, patiently winding its way between bright eastern guitar licks. The buildup is masterful, and pays off in a monstrous onslaught of bottomless low-end and unearthly distortion, complete with shrieks easily mistaken for a big cat of the jungle. Pulsing screeches of guitar seethe between the bursts of noise, and the percussive backbone never ceases its insistent push. Penultimate cut "Ololiuqui" brings in more unique instrumentation, with something akin to a rainmaker shaking the song gradually towards another wall of sound, behind which are chunky, churning riffs and very welcome Beastwars vibes. The album closes with another eight-plus minute epic in "Under The Fifth Sun". What sound like hand drums patter their way into a swirling wash of distortion, soon layered with more traditional drum kit hammering. In fittingly brutal style, It all culminates in a doomy, mind-bending freakout of Conan-level crush and spacey synths. With "Born of Obsidian", Kurokuma have smashed through the old ceiling of what sludge can be, bringing a progressive and culturally expansive take on the standard bludgeon to create a sure contender for heaviest release of the year.

(Written by Shasta Beast)

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