ALBUM REVIEW: Choosing To Die – Kulk
On their brutally heavy and wide-ranging fourth album Norwich duo KULK raise the bar not only for themselves but for the UK’s entire doom and noise underground.
While not a new face on the scene, KULK have been steadily making noise from the shadows since their debut album in 2020, bringing together the darkest sounds from the worlds of doom metal, sludge, noise rock and drone while sharing stages with acts such as PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS, CROWBAR, MELT BANANA and CONAN. On their latest record Choosing To Die, the duo formed of guitarist/vocalist Thom Longdin and drummer/synth player Jade Ashleigh Squires delve deeper into their low-down, miserable and ferocious sound.
Album opener An Endless Knife sets the scene for what’s to come with an aggressive two and a half minute blast of fuzzy, feedback-fuelled energy. While much of their previous work has taken its time, creeping slowly into the darker reaches of doom metal, dripping with atmosphere, KULK waste no time on An Endless Knife, striking quickly with a screaming wall of distorted guitars and punchy drums. This first track is a powerful statement of intent, cutting right to the chase and scaring off all but the most depraved devotees of noise.
The rest of Choosing To Die flies by with a similarly rapid speed with the nine tracks barely taking up more than twenty five minutes, leaning closer to sneering noise punk than the harsh synth-driven ambience of their debut record. Tracks like We’re Worried About You and To Take Life thunder past, caring little for the building and breaking of tension, instead just shattering bones and eardrums as they go. While KULK are clearly a band that appreciate the push and pull of a slowly constructed wall of noise, the duo also prove that they’re just as capable of getting stuck in without a second thought.
Despite leaning a little heavier on the fast and heavy side KULK haven’t abandoned their doomy roots for the rock n’ roll life quite yet, in fact their lower, slower material on their latest record might be their most diverse and savage yet. Tracks such as Being Forgotten, For Blood and the just over five minute long Ache, practically a DREAM THEATRE song by their standards, embrace low-slung riffs and expressive synths, dragging the listener into a world of creeping death and filthy, distorted guitars. There’s a little bit for everyone on Choosing To Die, as long as everyone loves either blisteringly fast or skulking, steadily building and horribly noisy doom metal.
While getting deeper into thunderous punk attitudes, Norwich duo KULK manage to elegantly combine rapid, feedback-driven riffs and steady walls of sound without giving the listener a moment of distortion-free calm. If you like your music fuzzy, diverse and ready to tear up your eardrums then keep a close eye on KULK.
Rating: 7/10
Choosing To Die is out now via Church Road Records.
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