Band: KONIGREICHSSAAL
Country: Poland
Title: Witnessing the Dearth
Label: Cult of Parthenope
Year: 2020
Style: Doom Black Metal
Review:
Sprung out from nowhere, this Polish (not German, which many would expect from a band with such a band name) trio presents its debut album via Cult of Parthenope, another new entity that shows impressive determination in slowly but surely building a solid name for itself. 7 long tracks clocking over 40 minutes of playing time, Witnessing the Dearth seems to be a well-thought, carefully built album that swirls around different forms of slow to mid-tempo rhythmed Doom Black Metal and targets the building of a dense atmosphere rather than displaying technical skills or speed. Most of the album seems too repetitive at first listen, but taken as a whole the overall picture to me is a perfect expression of the cover art: a claustrophobic, oppressive, chaotic, dissonant at times, dark atmosphere, and what's best about it is the band takes its time to build and enhance tension throughout the material, without settling down to a certain pace or another, avoiding boredom. Mostly mid-tempo drumming, with occasional outbursts of fast double-bass driven rhythms, upfront, heavy bass lines, hoarse and abrasive vocals, and a clever guitar section structure where the two guitars sound like they are playing one with the other in an intoxicating whirlwind of sounds, this is what happens on Königreichssaal's debut album, but be aware this is not one of those catchy Black Metal albums, I'd say it's overly sinister and hard to digest, but well worth giving a try to. The CD presentation (gatefold digipak in form of a cross) is a nice find and looks stunning, giving the album an extra boost from my point of view.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10