text: Oscar Wendt
Kingdom
Sepulchral Psalms from the Abyss of Torment
Godz Ov War Productions
October 28th, 2016
We all have those evenings when we are in a really destructive mind and all we want to do is crush stuff. And then, with the decent help, come bands like the Polish Kingdom, which with their brutality and atrocity, can raise the mood instantly! Already with 2 fantastic albums in the output, Kingdom is just releasing the third opus – Sepulchral Psalms from the Abyss of Torment through the native label – Godz Ov War Productions. ‘Is this going to be as barbarous as the previous albums?‘, I thought one evening. I played it loud and oh yes… I was in for an inhuman surprise!
Both previous albums, Unholy Graveyard and Morbid Priest of Supreme Blasphemy featured a highly-skilled musicianship which definitely put Kingdom into my liking. There is a lot going on in their music and each song has got something to say. It looks now that it’s a similar story with Sepulchral Psalms from the Abyss of Torment. I got involved in the album immediately! That evil distorted beginning has put me straight into the battle mood! And that’s exactly what I needed!
Kingdom’s latest offering it’s not, however, only about the pure vicious power. The album’s brutality and roughness are combined with the top class heavy slow. The beginning of Forsaken Tribe, for example, is simply filled with awesomeness. In seconds, it makes you realize that this album will be a frequent guest in your player. What a determination, what a dedication! The same with the only Polish language track, Kaplica Ducha Zgniłego (The Chapel of the Rotten Spirit) – the song is amazingly aggressive but balanced with some mid-paced sections that add some drama to the whole structure.
Sepulchral Psalms from the Abyss of Torment also features some bizarre and disturbing vocals which really get stuck in your head. Also, very sharp and quite technical sound of drums makes the album feel outright but it doesn’t lose its fleshly character. That’s what I like the most! And make sure that you don’t miss Black Rain Upon the Mountain of Doom which, I think, sums up Kingdom pretty well and gives you the perfect idea of the band’s possibilities! And for fuck’s sake… that ending riff! And I nearly forgot to say that the last track is Cromlech – a Darkthrone cover. Nothing else needs to be said! Just pure perfection!
It’s also worth mentioning the artist who designed the cover art for the new Kingdom’s album. Maciej Kamuda, who just like the band itself, is a new phenomenon to me, has done a fantastic job and captured the band’s spirit in the image which nicely highlights the dark and aggressive character of the album. That kind of discoveries always make me elated and I’m glad that in case of Kingdom it came as a nice package of sound and illustration.
Kingdom
Godz Ov War Productions
Maciej Kamuda Art
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