Major Kong - Doom For The Black Sun (2012)
The doom-bringers of Major Kong are
back again, with a vinyl reissue of 2012's Doom For The Black Sun.
We gave it a glowing review back when it first came out, but since
it never hurts to revisit a classic, we're giving it another spin. They've adjusted the track order and omitted "Demolition Whale", making for a somewhat different experience, so if you haven't heard it before, now's a great time to get yourself
acquainted with this group of trouble-makers.
“Witches
On My Land” begins the album with a feverish bit of audio sliced
from some horror film to which I can't put a name, but which has a
pretty strong sense of Hammer hanging around it as a woman goes mad
and sets the stage for the band to slide right in with massive
crushing tones. From the heavy, grinding chorus riff to the wild
tears of free-reign chord-ripping, it's a beast and a half... and
it's just the start.
Something
that stands out to me as I listen to this album after having heard
their follow-up, Doom Machine,
is how damn good these guys are at crafting their stuff to build in
intensity to the final song. While the songs do get heavier and
heavier as each one goes on, they also work in some spots where the
suffocating doom is pulled back, you get a chance to breathe, and
then they pull it right back over you with an extra layer added. The
clearest examples of this down-right evil technique are possibly
found in “The Swamp Altar”, which goes through so many terrain
changes that you won't even be able to remember how you came in at
the start. Then Major Kong sweeps you right into “Acid
Transmission”, heralded by a choice exploitation film sample, and
you're off on another wild trip as they pour out enough bassy reverb
to make your skull rattle. Some credit should also be recognized to
their drummer, who does a masterful job of subtly mutating the
rhythms while keeping to the pulse throughout the reeling doom.
The
last songs, “Iddqd” and “Primordial Gas Clouds”, are where
the band tosses away any sense of mercy, devoting a third of an hour
between the two to monstrous riffing, wild and expressive guitar, and
even more pressurized bass depths. It's enough to melt the wax and
brains out of your ears, assuming you have it turned up as loud as it
deserves, so by the end of the album, don't be surprised if you have
difficulty moving. Copies are available for pre-order from Record Heaven. What more do I have to say?
~
Gabriel
For
Fans Of; Electric Wizard, Sleep, Cough, Bongripper, Dopelord
~
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