Major Kong - Doom for the Black Sun

Today’s review is of the new record titled Doom for the Black Sun by Major Kong, an instrumental doom/stoner act from Poland. It contains exactly the same three members as another Polish band called Fifty Foot Woman - Dominik Stachyra, Paweł Zmarlak, and Michał Skuła. Fifty Foot Woman was a sick Kyuss worship band, but that project is on hold at the moment while the band members concentrate on Major Kong. With the vocals neatly deleted, these three Poles are taking a jammier, more psychedelic, and considerably slower approach. Kyuss will always be present in these guys’ sound (I suspect), but Major Kong has more in common with the likes of Sleep, Electric Wizard and Acid King than anything else – the doomier side of stoner metal.

My general feeling about this album is that it’s good, but it doesn’t stand out. The production is not as chunky as Fifty Foot Woman’s and they haven’t managed to capture the groove of doom as well as they did with more straight up stoner metal. The best moments are the psychedelic guitar solos. “Primordial Gas Clouds”, my favorite song on DftBS, is one of the few moments where MK manage to capture a truly deadly groove and the psych jamming on lead and bass that rides on it is wicked. If the whole album upheld the quality of this song, it would be a real winner (though to be honest that song probably should’ve been a minute shorter). There are moments of awe scattered throughout the rest of the album, but as a whole it carries on in the same way for a little too long and breaks no ground on any terms. Movie samples are used several times, but I didn’t think any of them were particularly apt or funny. Seriously though, there’s more good than bad here. Kong have a straight-forward, honest style: slow, heavy, rock music. And I like that. But I still want them to gear up Fifty Foot Woman for a second round.

In summary: Not going to enter the ledgers of legends, but a very solid release that fans of the genre should certainly try.

Standout tracks: “Primordial Gas Clouds”, “Demolition Whale”

Score: 7.0

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Doombringer - Sevenfold Pestilence EP

Supposedly the child of those behind two other Polish bands – the legendary Bestial Raids who have given us some of the most ruthless war metal of recent years, and the reputable occult black metal act Cultes des Ghoules – Doombringer brings to the table a bite-sized portion of grim, ritualistic death metal. While not always fully hitting the mark over the brief span of the two 6 minute songs offered here, there are enough morbid pleasures to keep you happy while listening. But what lets this release down bigtime is that there’s just nothing said or done here. There was no time to say or do anything! For some bands, or some records, it works putting out releases that are only ten minutes long, but not for Doombringer. By the time you start to get accustomed to the band’s style the record is over and you are left with no climax and a bunch of ideas that never really seemed to fully develp. Doombringer really need to get their act together and release a full-length album, is basically what my only complaint boils down to. What is here is very good death metal that, while holding no musical qualities seems to embody the dark energy of black – so, not really your everyday, run-of-the-mill death bollocks but pretty cool underground stuff. Such material needs to be fully panned out and given more room to breathe, as the potential is here already. We have here musicians from two prominent acts in the Polish underground with a number of demo releases over the past five years showing they can do it, just that they haven’t yet.

In short: Good, ever-so-slightly blackened death metal music, but way too short! This band needs more substantial releases.

Standout track: “Seven Evil Spirits”

Score: 6.5

Mgla - With Hearts Toward None

Mgla are not a revolutionary band. They are, however, an evolutionary band. Since their raw little split with Exordium back in 2005 this Polish duo have been releasing a steadily improving series of epic black metal albums and EPs, which currently culminates in the new album With Hearts Toward None. What exactly is getting better about Mgla? Production for one thing has become increasingly lush, and on this album the swathes of guitar static are so soft and well balanced with drums, bass and vocals that you’re immediately absorbed. Another of the band’s absorbing refinements is balanced epic song structure and desperately clawing riffs of cloistering emotion. No, Mgla don’t do anything new, but the power of their black metal riffs cuts straight to the nerve. It’s that pure dark emotion of nihilistic hopelessness that so many bands strive to achieve but never will. On With Hearts Toward None, every single riff captures what I feel is the true spirit of the genre (and of its own individual vision), forming an entire work which is nothing short of uplifting, empowering and all that other lame shit that sounds out of place in a black metal review, but (be honest) you feel all the time when you listen to good black metal. And all of this is most definitely good. Some of these riffs just lift you out of your seat, it’s that good! Even my girlfriend digs these tracks, and she listens to nothing but Khmer pop.

Mgla are a band to watch out for. They create real black metal (with only a slight rock influence in some riffs, perhaps) that is grim and black as Hell could ever want it to be, and without deviating from this form create something that feels fresh, interesting and powerful. Also if history is anything to note (see incredible precursor to this album, Groza), this band will only continue to develop their style in the future.

In summary: An album that stands up to relistening again and again and again. Mgla tops my list for 2012 right now. Fuck anyone who says black metal is dead.

Standout tracks: “V” makes me cum, but generally all

Score: 9.5


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