Embedded Files
KARU “Perdition”
KARU “Perdition”
By Dr. Abner Mality
Finland, the land of frozen forests and much metal, is known for bands dabbling in symphonic realms. From AMORPHIS to STRATOVARIUS, the legacy of orchestral bombast is deeply ingrained in the Finnish metal psyche. Now we have KARU giving us a wintry epic of symphonic death metal called “Perdition”.
There are certainly points of interest here where the band nail the sound they are after, but for every one of those, there seems to be an equal disappointment keeping them from fulfilling their destiny. Positives include a real feeling of bombast and ballyhoo in tracks like “Shadow War”. In many ways, this song, along with its effective intro “Shores of Mist and Blood”, marks the highpoint of “Perdition”. Of course, it’s not icky cavernous death metal drowning in pus, but rather something more refined. There’s still a lot of speed and crunch, though, and the guitar work of Toni Tieaho, a former member of MORS PRINICIPIUM EST, is more than worthy. It’s nine minutes plus of truly over the top symphonic death.
Wish I could say the same for the rest of the album. “Trail of Fire” again tries for a fast and raging approach, but something about it just sounds canned and flat. Perhaps that’s due in some part to the drumming. No drummer is listed as a band member, so that means Mr. Roboto is at it here. The drums are artificial sounding and at high velocity, they often sound like a clatter. That really hurts the music here.
Other signs of brightness pop up sporadically. The instrumental “Embers In the Skies” is genuinely haunting and a good use of symphonic elements. Parts of “Alone In the Forest” strike home with a rustic AMORPHIS feel. But the title track, listed at 12:48, is just too long and sounds like several shorter tunes cobbled together. Even worse, the last 3 minutes are soft and quiet when something thunderous is needed for a climax.
“Perdition” is the essence of a mixed bag, with enough strong elements to tantalize, but they haven’t gelled yet.
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