Released through Agonia Records
For the first several listens Sole Creation by Kongh reminded me strongly of the early nineties. It was during that short, strange period of time that many crusty punk rockers and Sabbath worshiping metal heads all started forming bands together and underground heavy music went through a period of rapid growth and experimentation. The collision of classic rock and metal went on to spawn some truly odious acts under the banner of “grunge” but there was a moment of promise that slipped away under the weight of commercial nonsense. Twenty years later the music industry is changed and the underground metal world is larger and more productive than ever in terms of pushing boundaries and mutating genres. That is where Kongh comes in. They manage to present a 90’s sense of melody within a modern doom/sludge context that has probably been attempted before but rarely this deftly. While the song lengths and overall heaviness pretty much guarantee these guys aren’t the destined for mainstream success the bold melodies on this record offer a refreshing change of pace from the normal unwelcoming hostility of the genre.
The opening song ‘Sole Creation’ starts of with some thundering toms and some fairly straightforward riffing and eventually drops into the first “verse” of the record. At this point I was a little discouraged. The opening lines are delivered in a fairly standard guttural grunt and I was expecting something a little different based on what the press release said. This feeling lasted about 45 seconds. When the first melodic section (we’ll call it a chorus because it happens several times) arrives and Kongh’s true strengths as songwriters begin to shine through. Vocal harmonies swirl around mountainous guitars only to drop back into chuggy grooves and artful guitar leads. It is through this diversity of delivery, vocally and other wise, that keeps the longer songs from seeming unnecessarily long or drawn out. By the time they reprise the verse and chorus at the end of the song even the previously off-putting raspy growls seemed vital to the song.
Most of the songs on the record follow a similar structure to ‘Sole Creation’. This is not to say that they all sound the same or that they are bland in anyway, just that they need to be experienced as a whole. All four of the ten minute songs are full of tempo shifts, mood swings, slabs of overdriven guitars and powerful drumming. The similarities between the songs are crucial to the cohesion of the album. Disparate influences can make even the most talented band sound somewhat schizophrenic and what Kongh does so masterfully on this album is make it all fit together cohesively. A standout example of this would be the black metal meets hardcore meets stoner metal epic ‘The Portals’. That description makes it sound like a mess of a song but it is arranged deliberately and thunders along seamlessly, never feeling forced. The dynamics throughout are subtle but effective and lead perfectly into the beautifully elephantine closing epic ‘Skyming.’
Sole Creation is a well crafted and well recorded album. Not only is the album performed and written well but the production really shows a band committed to creating an album they want to be proud of. Without the benefit of live volume (which I’m sure is considerable) the record still sounds huge and little touches within the guitar overdubs and vocal harmonies really make the record feel alive. The guitars and drums crackle with an energy and tone that shows determined craftsmanship went into making the record sound as natural as it feels. While the production may seem simple, it is completely effective in creating a solid, cohesive album.
I have to admit my first impression of Kongh completely missed the mark. After a somewhat half-assed first listen I didn’t think I would really get into the record. After a few listens though it really grew on me and I realized there is something really direct and unpretentious about their new album. This is just simply well played, well written, well recorded, well sung, doomy, epic metal and sometimes it doesn’t get any better than that.
