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I am probably going to be lynched by any black metal fan who reads this review following the statement I am about to make. I have never heard Drudkh or Hate Forest. I know, I know, a crime against black metal to be sure! However, the reason I admit this shocking state of affairs is because Blood Of Kingu. To all intents and purposes, arose from the ashes of Hate Forest and features members of Drudkh. Other reviewers may be able to use their knowledge of these other bands as something with which to compare Blood Of Kingu, but I am in the blessed position of being able to approach this album with a completely open mind and rate it on its own merits.
So, with no more ado, onto the music! The album begins with a short intro track, at just under a minute long, which showcases some tribal drumming (a feature that keeps cropping up throughout the album). Following this mood setting piece the band launches into the first song proper, Those That Wander Amidst The Stars. This song really lets you know what to expect from this album. It is heavy, uncompromising, fast and that double bass drum is incessant in its desire to cave in your face. It is a good start to the album, sounding as extreme as black metal, in my opinion, should.
Where this album is differentiated from the masses though, is in the vocal department. Provided by Roman Saenko, the only word I could use to sum his voice up is 'bestial'. Many extreme metal bands claim to have horrifying and 'heavy' vocals but Saenko's hoarse, raging growl is without doubt one of the best and most unique I have heard. In fact, there are parts of this album where the uncompromising music starts to lose its appeal but I kept listening just for the vocals!
Whilst I'm not exactly sure this album really evokes a feel of Sumerian mythology, it certainly provides 36 minutes of solid black metal with a sound different enough to most of the genre to make it a worthy addition to your collection.
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