ALBUM REVIEW: Kings Under The Sand – Pulver

After the success of their debut self titled EP last year, German heavyweights PULVER have been busy in the recording studio and have produced their maiden full length album Kings Under The Sand. The band formed in 2016, with the EP following suit not long after, before being earmarked and signed up by Gates of Hell Records, who have worked with PULVER in the build up to the release.

Kicking things off is the intro track Rising, a heavy instrumental running in at just under a minute. The riffs are big and heavy, but quite gentle and melodic throughout. This then flows into Phantom Hawk which picks the pace up a notch. When the riffs really become prominent there is a definite air of NWOBHM and it transports you back in time, even the vocal style has that more gravelly sound from the likes of Ozzy Osbourne. Blacksmith Lament slows the tempo down considerably though; it becomes more of a heavy ballad rather than a headbanger, certainly in the opening minute or so before the riffs return with a vengeance and there is an air of MOTÖRHEAD featuring in the track.

There are only eight tracks that feature on the record, but unfortunately there is little variation through Kings Under The Sand – once the listener has heard the opening few tracks, what can be expected from the rest of the album becomes abundantly apparent. The sound is pretty consistent throughout both in terms of structure and pace, which shows that PULVER have managed to identify and cement their own unique style very early on in their career.

One thing that really does make Kings Under The Sand stand out, though, is the theme and concept of the record and what the majority of the tracks explore within the lyrics: Ancient Egypt. It is one of the most important historical eras and it is one of the more popular time periods for inspiration and exploration across many media platforms. However, this hasn’t really been explored as much in music and certainly not in heavy metal with only a few notable exceptions, so it is something really unique and PULVER have done exceptionally well to create a record and eight tracks around that era.

From a technical point of view, Kings Under The Sent itself is fairly good; PULVER have managed to create nostalgia around the NWOBHM movement that inspired so many bands and it is a nice throwback to that time period; in terms of the different elements everything comes together well and there aren’t many areas which sound out of place. If you’re looking for a record that really gets you head banging at speed though with skull crushing riffs and breakneck solos then this isn’t one for you, but it is still worth having a listen to if you prefer the more gentle side heavy metal has to offer.

Rating: 6/10

Kings Under The Sand is out now via Gates Of Hell Records.

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