Kurokuma Advorsus

All the best bands inhabiting the herbally-infused end of the metal spectrum know that groove and rhythm are key, and crucially Kurokuma know this should still be the case regardless of how far down the heaviness and extremity rabbit holes you go.

This Sheffield three-piece combine filthy, savage doom riffs and hefty screams with Latin rhythmic tendencies, the whole beast coming across as a perfectly formed titan, with the various influences emboldening rather than toppling their mammoth sound. The guitars and vocals are thick and chunky, with a surprisingly clear quasi-funk bass tone cutting through to the forefront. It’s bassist George Ionita and drummer Joe Allen who ensure that the Latin rhythms are fully integrated into these churning grooves, not merely used as light relief, meaning that none of the oppressive weight is lost.

Though this is definitely a doom metal release, Kurokuma manage to keep the pace varied and exciting across the three tracks of Advorsus, splicing droning mantras with adventurous and comparatively uptempo romps.

The doom and sludge metal scene in Sheffield, and Yorkshire more widely, is really gathering steam and making an impact of late, but in truth Kurokuma have been ahead of this game for years. Advorsus is the overdue recorded statement which deserves to cement them as leaders of the Sheffield riff pack, a position anyone who has seen their crushing and energetic live sets will argue they already hold. There needs to be more where this came from.

Richard Spencer