ALBUM REVIEW: Slamchosis – Kraanium

With a track list featuring songs such as Larva Infested Cum Sluts, Face Fucked with a Brick and Forced Rectal Exhumation, it’s clear from the get go that the latest offering from KRAANIUM, Slamchosis, isn’t the kind of thing that you’ll be able to play at the next family BBQ. The Norway-based quintet have long been an unapologetic slam/death metal mob that delight in bludgeoning your ears before spitting putrid bile right between your eyes, and this newest addition to their collection is no different.

Bound to Kill and Blob of Inhuman Metamorphic Transfusion burst out of the blocks with the destructive force of a small army, taking all of 10 minutes to lay waste to, well, anyone or anything that may be listening. KRAANIUM are clearly very accomplished musicians, with some of the riffs in particular searing through the mix to take centre stage alongside the signature bowel-loosening vocals.

The production job is, on the whole, solid if not spectacular, with the odd moment of nauseating decadence sadly being lost, particularly as the band come together as a whole. In all fairness, it’d be hard to think of any way to fully contain and blend this racket into a coherent slab of metal, and part of the record’s charm is the fact that it’s just a battering leviathan of noise.

The major selling point of the album does, rather unfortunately, also end up being its biggest flaw, as the assault of unrelenting brutality doesn’t feature any changes of pace from the first note to the last. Employing a monolithic sense of heaviness will only get you so far – there have to be some decent songs littered throughout to truly capture the attention of the audience long-term, and with a collection of tracks that sound so one dimensional, KRAANIUM haven’t managed to craft anything particularly special with this record.

Closing track Putrecent Indulgence is something of a crowning moment however, hinting at a more creative element of the band that could do with being utilised to a greater extent throughout the album as a whole. While this may not be the route that hardcore fans would want them to take, it could certainly create an interesting proposition moving forward, both for KRAANIUM themselves as well as the genre as a whole.

In the meantime, if you’re a fan of low end, repulsive, stomach-churning thematic content and insanely fast drumming then there may well be just enough here for you to enjoy, but if you’re looking for something that’ll hold up well on repeat listens then you may end up being disappointed. KRAANIUM are certainly not the worst band plying their trade in this genre, but they’re not even close to being the best either.

Rating: 5/10

Slamchosis is set for release on the 26th October via Comatose Music.

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