ALBUM REVIEW: Firesky – Konvent
With a focus on arrangements and pulling ideas from dark depths of the soul, KONVENT have built a name for themselves in the death doom scene with two previous releases. Uncompromising dynamics lead to compositions that carry an oppressive weight and make for, at times, uncomfortable listening as the sinister power they generate doesn’t make for an easy listening escape. This is music to get trapped in. Now album three seeks to add some more blackened elements into their already substantial heavy style.
Opening with melancholic savagery. Exorcise delivers an introduction resplendent with the elements that have scored KONVENT repeated acclaim within the world of death doom. It is undeniably the harsher, brutalist edge of despair that the band are seeking to tap into. The point at which sorrow turns to wrath and then conveys that through expertly crafted intensity. For those familiar with the quartet’s previous work, this will come as little surprise, this is the sort of emotive menace that the Danish band have come to harness. However, there is a more threatening atmosphere that they’ve blended in. The vocals are harsher, the tone sharper and more piercing. The scene is very much set for the proceeding album.
The title track features an abundance of the trademark sound and style of KONVENT with the added bonus of an irresistible groove in the latter half of the track. Once more opening with the uncompromising wall of sound and towering presence of guitars, rhythm section and guttural vocals taking absolutely no prisoners. Then, when the style closes in on the cusp of being overtly oppressive, KONVENT deftly shift gear into clean vocals and expansive sound scape. It’s like a pressure valve being released, and it’s utterly captivating. Yet the tension still exists, making the reprieve seem almost as sinister as the crashing full band sound. It also means when they do kick back in with the aforementioned groove now leading the charge, KONVENT have scored an absolute death doom masterpiece. A true standout moment.
The album is very much a body of work. The closer Postludium perfectly encapsulates that. While certain moments can stand individually, such as the title track or album opener, the sheer majesty of what KONVENT are attempting to convey is best taken as a whole. To reiterate, this is not an album to get lost in with pleasant melodies to soothe a soul. This is music to get trapped in. Unrelenting and expertly crafted to tour an uncomfortable darkness. While that may appeal to many, the weight of the dynamics, leaving at times, very little room for finer details to breathe may turn some away.
Dark, brooding and crushing, with flashes of intense emotive melody, at just five tracks, KONVENT pack an awful lot into Firesky. Its richly layered embellishments serve the overall heavy weight nature, leaning heavily towards the death elements of their collective death doom sound. With dynamic range pushing the boundaries of the deep, sinister sound it enables the delicate moments to absolutely flourish. It’s not a comfortable album, at times the track lengths can seem overly meandering, and the weight ponderous. However, the song craft is such that just when an idea seems to have run out of room, KONVENT are able to drop into a moment of sheer intensity that brings an extraordinary level of energy.
Rating: 7/10
Firesky is out now via Napalm Records.
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