ALBUM REVIEW: Unholy Mountain – Karavan

Sitting on the South West tip of the rugged coastline of Norway lies Rogaland – a place of stunning natural beauty, especially the Boknafjorden, but also a rugged landscape that has been exposed to the tempestuous and carved out by North Sea weather and the tectonic plates. It is also home to KARAVAN, a young, ambitious and hungry doom band that have probably had a hand in carving out these mighty fjords with their heavy, uncompromising riffing. Formed in 2019, the trio have now emerged from their caves and into the light of day, like the great beast Grendel ready to demolish all that stand in their way. 

Using their influences of YOB, SLEEP and DOPETHRONE as a springboard and united by the mutual love of a powerful, cavernous and filthily fuzzy riff, the band’s debut album, Unholy Mountain, is raw and unforgiving. Just like the environment it was created in, the album shifts between powerful, monochromatic riffs and eerie cosmic psychedelia whilst being encased in a black metal morbidity. While it is an abrasive listen, KARAVAN are able to capture a vast and nuanced array of tumultuous emotions alongside powerfully hypnotic doom atmospheres. 

Unholy Mountain is deep, dark and foreboding. It’s one of those albums that you imagine yourself sat on the edge of a black abyss, swinging your legs and whimsically tapping your heels on the wall as you contemplate the mysteries of the universe. With esoteric lyrics being dispatched in a raspy, desolate and tormented way, it feels like these songs were carved out of the deepest darkest corners of the fjords. There is a consistently ominous atmosphere from start to finish; intense and unrelenting, you can feel the metaphorical walls of this album closing in around you the longer you listen. 

For a first outing, KARAVAN have demonstrated an astute knowledge of doom. This is doom metal in its rawest, most unhinged form, and in some areas borders on DARKTHRONE-esque black metal. You can feel the weight of the Unholy Mountain falling on your shoulders as the chasm-opening riffs crack your shoulder bones. Alongside this is a grimy, sludgy quality, as if the ashes and smoke particles of a ritual fire are clinging to the fibres of your soul, coating it with a thick, black, tar-like residue. This album lives in the grey area; with a disorientating mixture of elements from across the doom and sludge spectrum alongside the oppressive nature of the band’s songwriting, the darkness is tangibly demonic.

There are also moments throughout Unholy Mountain that venture into the traditional realms of BLACK SABBATH, moments of bluesy solos and riff rhythms catch you by surprise amongst the chaotic, sludgy riffs. Yet, this demonstrates the natural songwriting ability and musical understanding that KARAVAN have of the genre. The Norwegian trio have created a quintessential doom album but with their own unique twist, which is sure to bring in fans of all things slow and heavy. What makes Unholy Mountain a strong debut is that KARAVAN showcase a cohesiveness that is beyond their years. It’s not hard to imagine the three of them hammering away in rehearsal rooms, foraging the formidable sound that they have presented on this album. 

Opening up with Throne, you get an instant taste of what this album will be like. The mysterious introduction soon gives way to a thunderously chromatic doom riff, before rumbling on with juggernaut-sized grooves. As Chase The Dragon fades in, you can feel the atmospheres begin to dial up in intensity, its slow marching grooves hypnotise you effortlessly. It is here we also see the band’s use of psychedelic atmospheres, which carry over into Bonfire Ritual. The eerie crackling effects heard in the beginning are accompanied by a dizzying flange-soaked riff that builds into a wall of unrelenting fuzz. 

The album’s shortest song Rot is a sharp punch to the guts after you’ve been pummelled by the previous songs. Much faster in tempo, it quickly comes in, causes chaos and finishes before you’ve blinked. Demon Slime gets back to business but brings some spicier grooves with it. Fiery and powerful, it has a ritualistically entrancing spell surrounding it that will make you want to dance round the aforementioned bonfire. Mars is an oddly psychedelic song that channels the mysticism of the red planet with uncompromising rage. Huge, droning riffs swell and fade creating an uneasy ebb and flow. Album closer Unholy Mountain is a mercilessly unrelenting nine-minute barrage of doom madness, swinging erratically between doom and sludge in the best way possible. Anthemic choruses also make this the most memorable track on the album. 

Unholy Mountain is a strong debut, and it will certainly sway fans of heavy riffs and thick, abrasively fuzzy atmospheres. KARAVAN create doom in its rawest form and their debut album is a darkly mystical journey into the abyss. 

Rating: 8/10

Unholy Mountain is set for release on July 21st via Evil Noise Recordings / Vinyltrolden.

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